A Life from the Wastelands
by khesmeki
Summary: Myina awakens from her coma and realizes she's got more than just a delivery to make. F!Courier. Follows the New Vegas storyline with some added mods. Eventual Courier/Boone. RATED M.
1. Waking from a Nightmare

Okay, so this is the first story I'm publishing so R&amp;R welcome! I use a few mods so some of my story is going to include those just to add a little bit of freshness. Rated M for violence, language, and sexual content.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Reawakening

* * *

Something felt...off. Unfamiliar. Courier opened her eyes slowly. The room was bathed in light from the sparsely boarded up windows on the wall behind where she lay. Still nothing seemed to catch her memory. All she knew was that her head was pounding, and when she tried to sit up, pain ripped through her skull forcing her back down.

"Easy there, easy." A kindly voice to her left startled and reassured her all at once. "You've been out cold a couple days now. Why don't you just relax a second?"

Courier pulled herself up to a sitting position anyway and looked to the source of the voice. An elderly man sat next to the couch where she was positioned and leaned forward.

"Let's see what the damage is." He checked her pupils and felt the crook of her arm for what she assumed was a pulse. She wanted to tell him to back off, that she had no idea who he was and he needed to address that first. But she was too weak and found herself paralyzed and swaying slightly.

"Alright then. Let's start easy shall we? How about your name," the man leaned back in his chair and focused on her, "can you tell me your name?"

Thoughts and images surged through her mind, but she was unable to grasp at any of them. Her name. What was her name? Her head throbbed and she felt nauseous. How could she forget her name?! The pain must have registered on her face because the man put up a hand and gently waved off the question. He spoke again and she found that his voice soothed her, despite its unfamiliarity. She breathed deeply, trying to slow the aching pulse in her head.

"It's alright. It's alright. I'm Doc Mitchell," the man informed her. "Welcome to Goodsprings."

Goodsprings. Small flutters of images flashed through her mind but they were too ethreal to really grasp. She realized she had not yet spoken, tried to, and found that her brain and her body were not really in sync with each other, so she stayed silent and hoped that the man, Doc Mitchell, would understand.

"I hope you don't mind but I had to go rootin' around in your noggin there to get all the pieces of lead out. I take pride in my needlework, but you better tell me if I left anything out of place." Doc Mitchell held up a mirror. Courier looked into and saw herself and a wave of comfort rolled over her. Something familiar. Pale cream skin dotted lightly with freckles, hazel-green eyes, and long blonde hair. _Her_.

She recognized herself, so that must be a good sign, right? But when her eyes traveled up to the large gash in her temple she shuddered. Again images flooded her mind. The full moon, a distant radio, the smell of dirt, and . . . black and white, checkers?

Courier still found no voice, so she merely nodded. Doc Mitchell smiled. "Well I got most of it right anyway. Stuff that mattered. Now let's see if we can get you on your feet." He stood and leaned over to help her up. She lifted herself up slowly, shaking like a newborn brahmin, leaning heavily into the doc's arms. Pain seared through her vision and she nearly collapsed all over again, but he kept her standing and soon enough it passed. One step at a time he helped her across the large room, until she could almost stand all on her own. Doc steered her to weird looking machine that he placed her hand over. She jumped when it pricked her finger and, in a weirdly mesmerizing way, begin to move move and roll letters around in its display. Doc read the information and nodded, giving a "ah", and "mmhmm" every now and then.

"Lookin' good so far. Looks like you've still got most of your faculties. Well we now your vitals are good. Let's give you little bit of rest now and we'll work some more tomorrow."

Doc Mitchell led her back to the dusty couch and helped her lay down. Before she could really register anything else, Courier felt herself drift off.

* * *

"There you go."

Doc Mitchell set a plate of fried eggs and gecko meat in front of her. The smell elicited a small smile from her and she wondered what her brain knew about it that she didn't. "Thank you." Courier jumped at the sound of her own voice. Doc laughed a little.

"I knew you were in there somewhere," he smiled at her. "Just needed a little time is all. A bullet to the brain takes a lot out of ya." Courier smiled back and turned back to her food. It took her a little bit of struggle to handle her knife and fork, she was a lot weaker than she ever thought possible, but in no time she had devoured the meal, realizing it must have been her first in almost a week.

After breakfast, Doc led her to another room where he motioned for her to sit on a comfortable brown couch while he rummaged through a bookcase against the wall. He came back with a notepad, a book, pencil, and some strange looking cards and sat opposite her in an armchair.

"Now that we've got you talkin' again, let's go through a couple of questions. See if your dogs are still barkin'" He leaned forward. "Alright, I'm gonna say a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Dog."

Courier closed her eyes and let the whirl of images and feelings of comfort and excitement wash over her until she found the right word. "Train," she responded. Doc nodded and scribbled something in the notebook.

"House."

Security and warmth enveloped her. "Shelter."

"Night."

A mixture of wonder and fear crept through her. "Dream."

"Bandit."

Like a shot, a memory flashed in her mind and was gone in a whirl of checkers. "Reasonable."

"Light."

She smiled, something cunning yet humorous coming to mind. "Dark."

"Mother."

"Caretaker." Courier felt comforted and didn't even hesitate.

"Okay. Now I've got a few statements. I want you to tell me how much they sound like something you'd say." Doc flipped to a page in the book and adjusted it slightly in his lap to read from it. Courier shifted in her seat, preparing herself for the statements, wondering what she would find out about herself.

"Conflict just ain't in my nature." Doc looked up at her from the book. Passive and objective, he waited patiently for her response. Courier chewed on the inside of her cheek for a minute, then nodded.

"Agree."

Doc nodded and read another. "I ain't give to relying on others for support."

Courier thought about it. She thought about being alone and felt a twinge of coldness, regret. "Agree," she said with less enthusiasm.

"I'm always fixing to be the center of attention."

She cringed slightly, with a little laugh. "Strongly disagree."

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas."

Courier shrugged. "Disagree." Doc wrote some more in his notebook.

"I charge in to deal with my problems head-on."

She felt it in herself as an absolute truth. The hesitation told her exactly what she wasn't like. "Strongly disagree."

Doc nodded again and set the book aside. "Almost done here," he pulled the strange looking cards out and held one up. It had weird blotches of ink all over it. "What do you say you have a look at this? Tell me what you see."

Courier studied the ink blotch carefully for a minute, tilting her head one way then another. "An oozing wound? I don't know. It kinda looks like an ant actually."

Doc laughed. "It's okay. These are highly interpretive but very useful for me. Just answer as honestly as you can. Next one." He set a new card in front of the first. This one had new blobs on it and again, she studied them, before blushing wildly. Doc laughed. "It's okay. Just tell me what ya see."

"I'm too embarrassed to say what it looks like." Courier laughed sheepishly. Doc chuckled again before replacing the image with yet another ink blot.

"A mushroom cloud." Courier shuttered but felt much more confident with this one. Then something sparked in her. A memory. A real one, one she could see clearly. Posters hung up all over the place with warnings and precautions. "Vault 13!" she said excitedly.

Doc looked at her with a little surprise, although he also seemed please. She kept going. "Vault 13. I remember it. That's where I grew up!"

"I knew it would start coming back." Doc smiled. "Soon it'll be like you never forgot."

* * *

Doc was right. Within a week, the amnesia proved to be only temporary, like a bad dream. She was even able to start introducing herself to the townsfolk of Goodsprings with her name—Myina. During her recovering, Doc gave her a place to stay, food, and even some of his late wife's belongings. She felt guilty at his generosity, but he brushed it off and told her it was nice to have the company around again.

To earn a few caps of her own, Doc pointed her towards Sunny Smiles, who showed her the ropes of the town. Myina worked to re-cement her skills at shooting with an old rifle Sunny lent her. She would often help to curb the gecko problem in town, which allowed her to at least bring some food back for her and Doc.

It didn't take long for the local gossip to get the best of her curious nature and she found herself on the doorstep of the abandoned gas station up on the hill. A tall handsome young man answered her knocks and she could tell by the way he was angled that he had a gun pointed at her on the other side of the door.

"That's close enough. Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he snapped.

Myina looked at him innocently. "I'm not the enemy if that's what you're asking."

He looked her up and down. _That's right. Do I look like a damn Powder Ganger to you?_ She raised an eyebrow at him and patiently waited for his decision. Finally, he took a small step back and let her in.

The room was dimly lit by an old lantern on the counter and empty cans and boxes strewn the floor. A bedroll and duffel bag occupied one corner, surrounded by ammo boxes and bottles of water.

"Sorry about the gun. You just caught me off guard is all." He cleared his throat nervously. "We got off to a bad start. What do ya say we start over with a friendly game of Caravan? You know how to play?"

"No." She lied. Myina was well aware of the game caravan. She was also well versed in how it could help you to really get to know someone. She had no doubt that's what he was trying to do. Pretending not to know how it was played would not only gain his trust a little—teaching a person something seems to create this weird bond, she'd noticed over the years—but it would also give her a clean slate to read him from since he would be trying to hide his technique with her.

"You never did tell me your name, by the way." She ventured.

"I have a feeling you know my name already, or else you wouldn't have come to an old gas station." He played a Jack on one of her caravan cars, knocking it out of balance. So he was smart and patient. Definitely a plan-ahead type of person. Interesting then that he'd be holed up here, when clearly, this was no way to deal with his current situation.

She inwardly sighed all the same. She'd have to get rid of that one and start a new car. "True. But I felt like it was polite to hear it from you." Myina tucked a King gently under an eight on one of his cars to double the preceding ten, causing him to grumble. _He might be able to think ahead in some cases, but he's not very good at handling unexpected events._ That could explain a lot.

"Ringo," he said studying his cards. "My name is Ringo."

"Did you know that's there's a man named Joe Cobb after you?"

Ringo stared at her, deadpan. Myina kept a pleasant exterior as she gracefully discarded her bumped car and placed a new starter down.

"Yeah, I know." Ringo flicked a six down on top of his second car. "He doesn't look very tough, though. I hear he's afraid I'll shoot him down from one of the windows when I see him. And he's right."

Myina could hear the determination clearly in his voice. She was convinced he could and _would_ do exactly that.

"I'll have a much bigger problem once his friends show up, though." Ringo continued. "There's no way I could handle them all in a gunfight."

And there it was. The thinking ahead that she had read off of him. It was true. Even if he was a good enough shot, the Powder Gangers were exactly that, a gang. They'd never let one of their own handle trouble by themselves and they would certainly seek some revenge should one of their leaders be picked off.

"So what are you going to do?" Myina asked as she placed a five down on her third car.

"I'm going to lay low for as long as I can, assuming the town doesn't throw me to the wolves. I've got no chance against the gang on my own." He looked worried, like he knew his time was running out. She couldn't blame him. A lot of innocent lives of the townsfolk would end up caught in the middle if the Powder Gangers decided they wanted him taken care of. And he knew.

"Maybe I could help." Myina offered as she doubled a ten on his second car, putting that one too, in the red. The corners of his mouth twitched in annoyance.

"We'd just end up sharing the same grave if it's just the two of us." He snapped, throwing his hand down. She'd won. Laying low and quietly sneaking up on her opponent, that was always her tactic. She looked up at him, direct and steady.

"And the towns people? What about them?"

Ringo sighed. Then he perked up a little. "You know, if some of the other people in the town were also on board..."

"Ringo—"

"No, wait, hear me out. The Powder Gangers are gonna set their sights on this town sooner or later with or without me. If they take a stand now, show them they can handle themselves, maybe the can make just enough of an impression to stay out of their sights for awhile."

Myina rolled the idea over in her head. He was right. Goodsprings was a small town, sure, but it was a resource hub. Chiefly for clean water. She'd heard about the conditions at the NCR Correctional facility from her boss. They were not the greatest. And the Powder Gangers weren't known to be open to trading. They might not be as bad as fiends, but they still weren't the most civilized group in the wastes. Mynia looked at Ringo and nodded.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Look, you're a better talker than I am and the people of the town trust you a little more. Start with Sunny Smiles. She's been friendlier than most around here."

It didn't take much to convince Sunny to help out and Doc was willing enough to help out as a medic. Trudy rallied some of the sturdier townspeople to gather arms. Myina had a tougher time with Chet and Easy Pete, but after some arm-twisting and explosives training respectively, she was able to turn them around.

After a few days, when the town decided they were ready, Easy Pete had one of the younger townfolk help him lay out mines strategically across the road where the Gangers were sure to come from. Chet helped Sunny and Ringo push some crates and carts into a barricade while Myina did a weapons check with Trudy and the others. Finally, it was time. A messenger was sent to the edge of the correctional facility where a few of the prisoners were known to hang out, and told them that the town was willing to give up Ringo.

It worked like a charm. In twenty minutes, Powder Gangers came out of the west and the first hint of trouble blew two of them off the road before they realized what was going on. Trudy shouted and the townspeople opened fire. By the time the prisoners were able to wrap their heads around what happened and collect there were only a handful of them left, but they were armed with SMGs and dynamite.

"Get down!" Sunny shouted as a stick of dynamite flew past her head. Myina grabbed Easy Pete and his helper out of the way just in time as Chet's porch splintered and sent daggers of wood flying towards them. Chet yelled, "GODDAMMIT!" and threw himself out in front of the barricade shooting mercilessly at the last of the prisoners. Myina, Ringo, and Trudy only stared on with eyebrows raised as he panted in anger as the last of the bullets flew.

Chet turned around and cleared his throat when he saw them all staring. Smoothing out his shirt he stated simply, "I built that with my own two hands." They all laughed timidly until a whimper caught their attention. Myina looked over to see Cheyenne crouched next to her master, who lay in the road bleeding.

"Sunny!" Trudy yelled, as the trio ran towards her. Myina called out to the bar where Doc was holed up, "MEDIC!"

Sunny coughed and groaned. "Damn Gangers. One of 'em caught me in the shoulder. Got distracted and didn't see him comin'. Was stupid of me."

"No, no, baby." Trudy cooed. "It happens. You hang tight kid. Doc's on his way."

Myina held her breath for the next five hours. Miraculously, no one else had been seriously injured in the gun fight. Getting the drop on the prisoners, especially with the use of Easy Pete's explosives, had been a huge help. So Doc was able to dedicate most of his attention to performing surgery on Sunny while Myina busied herself tending to the minor wounds of the townspeople. Ringo, for his part, stayed by her side, fetching her supplies and bandaging people under her supervision.

With everyone patched up and Sunny still in surgery, Trudy poured Myina and Ringo a drink. She could barely concentrate and Myina ended up pouring a drink for her as well. The three sat in silence, sipping whiskey, until Doc finally entered the bar, looking tired and worn out.

"She'll be just fine." Doc smiled, patting Trudy on the arm. "She's a tough little biscuit, that one."

"I never expected anything less." Trudy said, her chin pointing out in defiance. But Myina could see the look of relief flooding her features and how it shook the poor woman.

Ringo breathed a sigh of relief next to her. "I'm glad she's okay. I couldn't have stood it if someone had died on my account."

Myina shoved her shoulder into his, her lightheartedness having returned the moment Doc gave the all clear. "Nonesense. It wasn't for you, it was for them, remember? You were just the one to get the ball rolling. Besides," Myina turned to him in seriousness, "I don't think they'd have made it out of that as well as they had without your help."

Ringo smiled at her. "You too. You're an excellent shot. So is Sunny. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd get out played at my own game."

"Now, now," Myina grinned, "jealousy doesn't become you."

"That's not what I—" Ringo tried to say, but Myina pulled him up to his feet.

"Let's go cowboy. You owe me a dance."

"I do, do I?" Ringo looked at her.

She only smiled back, "Let's call it some of your payment."

Myina pulled him to the open area of the bar as the radio crackled on. Trudy and Doc joined in as some of the townspeople looked on.

* * *

By the time two weeks had gone by, Myina was confident in herself again and had a small collection of caps to prepare herself for getting back out on the road. She was a little hesitant to leave, between her new-found friends and the comfort and security of the town, but she had some loose ends to tie up and a score to settle that was burning a hole in her stomach.


	2. Hellooo Primm

It was nearing sunset when Myina arrived at the office of Randall &amp; Associates. She stopped outside the shack and took in a deep breath before pulling open the door. Her eyes barely had time to adjust to the darkness of the room before Steven Randall's voice rang out.

"And where in the good goddamn have you been? I was beginning to think that Quigely had gotten the drop on you."

Myina scrounged her face at him. That's right, she'd been on the hunt for Quigely when she picked up the job for Mojave Express. Well there goes that bounty down the drain. No doubt Quigley's finger, her proof of completion, had been eaten up by some passing coyotes before Victor had pulled her out of that grave.

"Suck it, Randall." He shook his head as she flung her pack into the corner of the room. She wanted to poke at him for being an ass, but she knew if she wanted to keep her rep as a professional she'd have to get down to business. "And no, he did not get the drop on me. Quigley's gone, as a matter of fact. . ." She inhaled deeply before continuing. "But I lost the proof."

Randall started in on her without hesitation. "You lost the proof, huh? Well don't you go expecting me to give any kinda payment without the damn finger. You know good and well—"

Myina couldn't see his eyes under the dark sunglasses he always wore, but she was sure Randall had just caught sight of the wicked wound on her head. It was starting to heal, but she was sure it still looked pretty nasty, especially given that Doc had to shave the area around it on her head just to dig the bullet out.

"The fuck happen to you?" He may have yelled it, but even Myina could hear the concern in his heavy Louisiana drawl. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it off.

"Job with Mojave Express went sour. Got capped in the head. Spent the last few weeks in Goodsprings recovering." Myina crossed her arms over her chest, shifting uncomfortably in the silence that followed. Randall sat for a moment, motionless in front of his typewriter, then stood up and, without a word, pulled a bottle of brandy and two glasses from one of the drawers in the filing cabinet behind him.

"Sit the fuck down."

Myina blinked, but did so, lowering herself into the all-too-familiar chair across from his desk. She had recovered her memories from before the attack but they more of vague shapes and nuances. Sitting there in the office, the feel of the chair, the smell of the air, more detailed memories began to form out of the nonsense. Randall filled both glasses almost to the brim and handed one to her.

"Well then, here's to you crawling out of the grave to make it one more day in the wastes."

He raised his glass to hers and they tipped them back. She'd never had a drink with him before. It was odd for him to express any kind of relationship with any of his employees, of which he had at least a handful. She'd always thought he disliked her; of course that was probably because she sometimes went out of her way to annoy him.

Randall refilled both their glasses before saying anything more. "You, uh. . .you still sane an' al' that?"

"Doc Mitchell did a pretty good job of patching me up. Took some time but I still remember just about everything. . . I think." Myina thought about it, wondering if there were some details she was missing.

"Uh huh. And you catch sight of the asshole that did it?"

"Some guy in a checkered suit. He was with some Kahns, but that's all I know, aside from the fact that they headed towards Primm on their way out."

Randall nodded in contemplation, then spoke up again. "I'll touch base with some of my contacts and see what info I can pull up. In the meantime, I've got another contract for you if you're interested."

Myina tried not to let her surprise show too much. Not only was he going to continue giving her work but he was also going to help her find the guy? Damn. He was such a closet softy. She filed that info away and sat up straight, nodding to him. "Hell yeah I want it. What do you think I'm going to go run and hide because I got a little boo-boo? I've been goin' stir crazy in that dinky little town with nothing to shoot at but geckos. Besides, all my stuff got jacked, I need some caps to get some new gear."

Randall laughed and poured another refill of brandy. "That's my girl."

The mark was a drunk named Chesty. His caravan had gotten attacked and he was one of the only ones to survive. The client wanted info on who had taken the caravan and he was the only lead. The only problem was he was all the way up in Boulder City and Myina knew she'd need better gear before she tried to make it that far. So Primm was still the best option for her next stop. She'd be able to sell some of her scavenged goods and maybe patch up the Varmint Rifle that Sunny had given her. Some armor would be nice too. Having nothing but a tank top and pre-war hat was not doing her any comfort.

* * *

The trek to Primm was relatively uneventful, but as soon as she reached the outskirts of the city, she knew she was going to be waylaid by some trouble or another. Outside the main gates an NCR trooper stopped her.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going? Primm is off limits." He stood rather defiantly in front of her and Myina found it rather comical. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"A whole city off limits? And for what reason is the NCR putting up a blockade on Primm?"

The trooper growled. "We are not blockading it. Some convicts from the prison up the road have taken over the town. Everyone inside is either dead or in hiding. What's more is there are two types of raiders causing trouble in this area as well. You'd be better off heading back towards Goodsprings." The trooper added as he eyed her up and down.

Myina gave a look back at him. "Thanks but no thanks. I just came from there and I have no intention of returning any time soon. Besides, shouldn't you be helping the town out or something? Instead of just standing here telling me where I can't go?"

"We'd love to, but they don't fall under NCR jurisdiction."

"Oh, so you can't help them, but you can keep potential traders and others that might come to their aid out?" Myina crossed her arms and gave a leveled, calm stare to the trooper. The NCR could really have their heads up their asses sometimes.

The trooper, however, was starting to lose his patience. "Even if they _did_ fall under our jurisdiction, we're in no shape to protect them. There's only a handful of us stationed here and we haven't got the bodies or the equipment to go up against a building full of armed and dangerous convicts."

Myina gave a wicked smile and chirped, "Well why didn't you say so? I'd be _happy_ to help!"

"Go talk to Lt. Hayes then." The NCR trooper must have hit his limit. "He's in the tent down the road. Just stay on the west overpass if you don't want to get shot." He rolled his eyes and walked away while Myina headed in the direction of the encampment.

It was just like the NCR to take control of a situation before they were ready to actually fix it, she grumbled in her head as she pushed open the flap of the tent. Always trying to decide what was best for everyo. . . helloooo.

Myina was greeted at the tent by a tall soldier who promptly addressed her. "I'm Lt. Hayes of the NCR. 5th Battalion, 1st Company. What's your business?"

She couldn't help but smile a little. The Lieutenant was quite the looker. Strong jaw, tan, and deep blue eyes, he held himself with a comfortable authority that didn't feel pretentious or demeaning. He just _was_ in control. Myina tried to think back to the last time she'd been with someone and realized that it had been far, far too long.

She shook her head, refocusing her attention away from mentally undressing the soldier in front of her to lock eyes and stance with him.

"I have business in Primm. I hear you guys are holding them in lockdown and I want to know why. What is _your_ business out here?"

To his credit, Lt. Hayes answered her respectfully, which she couldn't say for the trooper who'd directed her to him.

"We were sent here to attempt to deal with the tide of convicts from the correctional facility up the road. Unfortunately, as you can probably tell, we're not doing the kind of job we could be doing."

Myina nodded. "The trooper outside said they were holding up the citizens and the sheriff. What's the problem with your orders?"

"The problem is with the supplies. The convicts are better armed and organized than our intel initially suggested. I'm trying to get some reinforcements here, maybe some guns with some firepower, but . . ." The Lt. removed his beret and ran his hand along his close cropped brown hair, before rubbing his eyes. "Shit. . . things are just going slow," he confided.

"Well I've got some experience dealing with convicts. And I'm not too shabby with a rifle. I'd be more than willing to help."

Lt. Hayes eye her. "No offense, but I have no idea who you are or what your qualifications are. Besides, why would you do that?"

Myina gave him a friendly smile. "I've got business in town. I need to get in there. And, no offense," she smiled broader, "but you have no authority to keep me from going in there. Which is exactly what I'm going to do, with or without the NCR. Having a couple of soldiers at my back would certainly be welcome, but is by no means necessary."

Hayes studied her for a minute, silently contemplating her request. "I didn't catch your name." He said finally.

"Myina. Courier for the Mojave Express and Bounty Hunter for Randall &amp; Associates. Pleased to meet you." She stuck out her hand and the Lt. shook it with a nod.

"Bounty hunter, huh? I guess you would have some experience with convicts then." Hayes seemed to gain a little hope, and pulled himself up a little higher. "Well, the convicts are holed up in the Bison Steve Hotel at the end of the street. Jamison and Bellows are pretty decent with rifles too. They don't have much close combat or infiltration experience though. There are mines across the bridge leading into the town. Private Ellis has some mechanical and electrical training. She takes care mines, I'll set my guys up on the roofs of the two buildings closest to the bridge. They can help you get up to the building. After that, you could use an extra set of eyes and ears getting in and out of that place."

Myina folded her arms. "And who's that going to be?"

Hayes smiled back at her, a crooked smile that only served to peak her interest in him all the more. "Me."


	3. Law Enforcement Protocols

Lieutenant Hayes was true to his word. Come nightfall, Myina crouched behind a wall, watching the snipers get into position while Ellis crawled on her belly toward the last remaining mine in the middle of the street. The courier didn't realize she was holding her breath for the Private until she saw her shimmy back to the safety of the building on the other side of the street and then give a thumbs up to her and Hayes.

"We're good to go. You ready?" Hayes' deep whisper blew across the back of her neck in a hot breath, making her shiver slightly. Balancing on the balls of her feet, she nodded excitedly. Myina hadn't had the chance for this kind of action since the first job she'd done with Randall.

A quick signal to Bellows and Jamison and the courier and lieutenant pushed off, making their way slowly down the street. Hugging the wall, rifle at the ready in front of her, Myina rolled her feet the way Randall had showed her so as to minimize the amount of noise her steps made. Her and Hayes tag teamed down the road, one clearing the front of the building while the other kept guard on their six. Soon enough, they were on the opposite side of the street as the Bison Steve Hotel, and Hayes leaned in close to issue their next steps.

"There's a door in the back that we can get into. It'll be our best bet if we don't want to go in guns blazing. Recon estimates about 20 armed convicts in the building and I'll bet at least ten of them are in the front foyer waiting for someone dumb enough to go barging in."

Myina nodded. "How do we get to the back door?"

"It's on the top floor; that railway there should bring us right up to the ramp that we can get to the door by. We get in that way, we can clear the floors top to bottom with minimal risk."

Keeping her eyes trained on the scene in front of her, Myina swept the road, looking for the shadows to crawl through. "We should expect they'll have at least one on patrol back there, if not two."

Hayes agreed. "I've got nightscope."

"I don't." Myina frowned. She felt Hayes' hand reach around her waist and she peered down to his open palm, a single white tablet sitting in its center.

"I know. I looked at your rifle earlier. I don't normally condone the use of chems, but some Cateye in this instance might be helpful."

Myina took the pill without hesitation and let her eyes adjust to the sudden change. She was not unused to Cateye. One of the fews chems that proved exceptionally useful in her line of work, both as a bounty hunter and a courier, Myina preferred to travel at night when she could afford to, the cooler air and fewer threats from raiders and animals alike, allowing her to move much quicker.

As soon as the Cateye took effect, the world suddenly coming into focus with a bluish tint, she crept forward, leading the way through the darkest shadows towards the back of the building.

"Eleven o' clock, the railway." She whisper to Hayes. He aimed and nodded.

"Sweep for any others. As soon as he falls, any more patrols out here will be alerted."

Myina eyed the tracks bridging across the night sky carefully, Hayes keeping his rifle trained on the spotted convict.

"I've got no other movement." With barely a hesitation, there was a pop through Lt. Hayes' silencer and the convict yelped in pain, tumbling over the side of the rail before landing with a thump on the ground.

"What the-" a muffled voice came from around the corner of the building.

"Shit!" Myina hissed swinging her Varmint rifle in the direction of the sound. From around the corner, a convict came rushing forward, shotgun at the ready, searching for the source of the sound that had attracted him. Crouching low, she got him in the center of her poor excuse for a scope and took a deep breath.

A tinny pop and the convict hit the ground with a small spray of pink. "Nice shot." Hayes whispered. She could her the slight surprise in his voice and smiled at it.

Moments later they were climbing their way up the tracks, still crouched low and keeping an eye out for more patrols. When they jumped over to the landing leading to the door, Hayes held on to the doorknob and looked her square in the eyes.

"Last chance to run back, courier. You sure you're up for this?"

Myina bounced on the balls of her feet and grinned. "Always."

When they finally reached the anteroom of the first floor, Hayes looked carefully around the corner.

"We've got two patrolling the front of the room. I can hear a handful inside but can't really determine how many are in there."

Myina smirked and lifted a flap on her leather armor revealing some frag grenades she liked to keep around "just in case".

Hayes nodded, aimed, and just before pulling the trigger whispered "Incoming."

The first patrol went down quietly, but the second convict saw him fall and shouted, "Intruder!"

Hayes quickly aimed for him but only caught him in the leg before having to duck behind the wall to avoid an incoming hail of bullets. "Pull back!" Myina yelled as the stamping of dozens of feet came in their direction. She pulled the pin on one of the frag grenades and tossed it softly around the corner before launching back to behind a further wall in the lobby area.

"Grena-!" The blast shook some of the ceiling loose and Hayes threw his arms around Myina, attempting to cover her from the shrapnel and flying debris zipping past them. When she was able to look up again, she was about to give him a smile before she spotted two figures rushing them from a previously overlooked area. Pulling her rifle up she caught the first in the abdomen twice and the second in the leg, dropping him quickly before aiming one last shot at his head while Hayes moved back towards the blast to finish off any survivors.

When the dust settled Hayes looked at her before giving her the biggest grin she'd ever seen. It made stomach flutter. "Well, courier, I do believe we make a fine team."

Myina bounced up to his side and looped her arm into his. "Yes, Lieutenant. I believe we do." She grinned back at him and then pulled him in the direction of the large room. "Now, let's go find this deputy of theirs."

Deputy Beagle proved to be a little bit of a thorn. Or as Hayes put it, "A useless sack of brahmin shit." Once they got back to the Vicki &amp; Vance casino, there was much needed rest, and then more work to do, much to the courier's displeasure. Johnson Nash, who was obviously the most trusted citizen of the town, asked her to find a new sheriff now that they were effectively out of one. Deputy Beagle kept trying to saying he should be the sheriff by rights, but Nash insisted he was much to ineffective, which Myina conceded was the best way possible to describe him. Nash on the other hand, was suggesting some former convict who had once been a sheriff in another town. Myina didn't think that was a very good idea either, and seeing that the town was, for some reason, bestowing her with the authority to name the new sheriff, she figured she should feel confident about her choice.

That's when Primm Slim came moseying on up to her and a thought struck the courier.

"Why not him?" The others blinked at her in surprise.

"A robot?!" Beagle declared incredulously.

"Well," Nash rubbed his gruff chin as he thought about it. "You'd have to reprogram him, but I don't see why not."

"Better than an ex-con, right?" Myina shrugged. Nash nodded and rolled up his sleeves. Private Ellis helped them with the reprogramming, Myina leaning over her shoulder every step of the way trying to learn. She was an unabashedly curious person and usually took every opportunity she could get to learn something new.

It wasn't long before Primm Slim was rebooted and accepted his new role as sheriff. The only person in the crows who really seemed to object was the deputy, who spent the rest of the night moping in the corner.

Lt. Hayes went back to his men to debrief them, but it wasn't long before he was by Myina's side at the celebration of the town take-back, sharing a whiskey with her. The radio blared the soft jazz of the Mojave Music Radio, and the townsfolk couldn't help but dance along. Mrs. Nash was passing out drinks and food that Mr. Nash grilled up. Even the NCR soldiers, each given an overwhelming hug from Mrs. Nash, joined the party, bringing in what little food supplies they could spare. Myina and Hayes danced a few times, and she complimented him on his lightness of foot, while he complimented her on her on her strength of marksmanship the night before.

By midnight, the two were inches apart from each other in one corner of the main hall, sharing another drink and some intimate conversation.

"So you never did tell me about that head wound there." Hayes pointed to the bandages still wrapped around her healing gash. Myina blushed a little but tried to shrug it off.

"A job went sour and I got jumped. Guy shot me and left me to die in Goodsprings. Luckily some of the residents of the town patched me up and helped me get on my feet."

Lt. Hayes' eyes went wide. "You got shot in the head?! Jesus, I thought it was just that a gecko had gotten the better of you or one of your bounties had tried to fight back. Didn't realize one of them had _shot_ you."

"Not one of my bounties." Myina swilled her whiskey. "It was actually one of the courier jobs I was doing. That's why I needed into Primm. The Mojave Express station I picked the job up from was here."

Hayes furrowed his brows. "A courier gig got you put in a grave? What the hell were you transporting?"

"A poker chip. The fuck if I know why it would cause someone to go all murderous on me for though. Figure I'll ask Nash about it tomorrow."

"How come he didn't recognize you?" Hayes looked suspiciously at Johnson Nash, dancing slowly with Ruby while _Stars of the Midnight Ranger_ crackled over the speakers.

Myina snorted. "The man runs a Mojave Express. He probably sees dozens of couriers a week at least. I'd be more suspicious if he _did_ recognize me."

Lt. Hayes nodded understandingly. "Well, I for one am glad you survived."

Myina smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "You are, are you?" She scooted closer to him and leaned in. "Exactly _how_ glad are you?"

Hayes smiled back, reciprocating her movements. "Very, very glad." Myina closed the distance between them and planted a soft kiss on his rough lips. Hayes was all too happy to pull her in for a more passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her.

Myina pulled back, breathlessly, and whispered huskily, "What'd you say we get a room from Nash, and you can show me some more stealth techniques?"

Hayes grinned devilishly. "Only if you show me some of your take-down moves to subdue a mark."


	4. Hand-to-Hand Combat Training

"Gawd, I love this!" Myina tiled her head back and let the water cascade over her face.

Hayes grinned at her from under his towel as he dried off his hair. "Yeah, I have to admit, it's been a little too long since I've had a good shower. But if you stay in there any longer you'll turn into a lakelurch."

Myina stuck her tongue out at him. "What, you would like my slippery scales?"

Hayes feigned a shudder and then laughed. "Well, I might not. But all the people whose hot water you stole might."

Myina sighed. "I suppose you're right." She reached down and turned off the water, then stepped from the tub and wrapped herself around the lieutenant, who'd just finished drying off.

"Hey hey. You're making me wet, there," Hayes scolded as he reached around and pulled her in front of him.

"Isn't that my line?" She giggled. Hayes cocked an eyebrow at her grinned wickedly.

"So that's the way you want to play it, huh?" He pushed her backward out of the bathroom, catching her mouth in a steamy kiss, tangling his fingers into her soaked hair. When the back of Myina's knees hit the mattress she pulled away from his mouth and trailed kisses down his muscled abdomen, perching on the end of the bed.

Hayes groaned as she took him into her mouth and swirled her tongue along his hardening member. After a moment or two, he brought himself back to full consciousness, as much as he could muster. "I don't suppose . . .you're sticking around . . . for awhile, are you?" He huffed between pants as she stroked him steadily with her hand.

She brought her mouth away from him, but continued her ministrations with her hand, torturously slow for his liking. "Sorry, sir. But I've gotta hit the road in the morning. I've already been here a day longer than I . . . intended." She grinned up at him and he began to lower himself toward her. Myina brought her arms around his neck as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Shame." He sighed. "I figured you weren't here the settling down and all. But I hoped I might get to spend a few more leave days with you." As he spoke he let his hands caress her body, all the way down to her thighs, softly stroking the insides of them with his thumbs. "I do hope you'll come back to finish our training swap though." He let two fingers brush across her core and she shuddered beneath him.

"Maybe," Myina breathed coyley. "There are a few moves that you promised me-aahhh" she was cut off by an involuntary moan and Hayes dipped two fingers inside her, reveling in her excited state.

"What, like this one?" Myina could only gasp and she was wrenched from the revere of his fingers inside her when he hooked his leg around hers and grabbed her upper arms. In a flash, she found herself staring down at the lieutenant, who grinned, obviously pleased with himself, one of her arms at the side of his head, the other still clutching his arm, her thighs on either side of his hips.

"Why, you sly dog." Myina nipped at his collarbone as she righted herself atop him and slowly slid her hands down between their bodies. Hayes only smirked smuggly as leaned forward to message her breasts, kneading and pinching. She breathed in deeply as she reached for his hard length, sliding herself slowly down. Myina kept pace the best she could, which proved a little difficult when he began to match her thrust for thrust, and even more so when he captured one of her nipples between his teeth. Soon enough she was crying out in ecstasy as he took over, letting her ride out her orgasm. He followed suit not long after, and soon they were entangled in each other, sweaty and gasping for breath, giggling in their afterglow.

* * *

The next morning, Lt. Hayes helped her gear up in the hotel room, (after a farewell romp in the sheets, of course,) and then he and his men even gave her a new sidearm and a combat knife, which she equipped gratefully. The townspeople came together and gifted her with a handful of caps and some provisions for the road, which she happily accepted. But before leaving town, Myina knew she had one more stop.

The bells tinkled as she entered Nash's store. It was about time she fessed up to him about her missing package. She thought at first he might get angry or demand some reimbursement for the contract. But instead he shook his head in sympathy.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised. That job had strange written all over it. But we couldn't turn down the caps." He sighed sadly and nodded towards the fresh bandages on her forehead. "Looks like that was more than a mistake on my part though."

Myina only shook her head. "That's not your fault, so don't you go blamin' yourself for it." She eyed him sternly. "Now, what was so strange about it?"

"Well, that cowboy robot had us hire six couriers. Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that kind of stuff. Last word I had from the office, it looked like payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was your chip that didn't make it."

Myina furrowed her brow. "Five other packages?"

Nash nodded, and then scoffed. "First deadbeat we hired to do the job canceled. Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive." He declared angrily. Then he softened and bowed his head again. "Well, that's where you came in."

"He canceled?" A weird feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach. Something akin to fear.

"Yeah. Got this weird look when he saw you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked me if your name was for real. I said, 'sure as lack of rain, you were still kicking.' Then he turned down the job just like-" Nash seemed to come to a conclusion. His eyes grew wider. "Just like that. I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry. All I asked was if he was sure, 'it was good money.' That's all I said. I'm so sorry."

Myina shook her head again. "Don't be. Really. I **am** still kicking, in case you haven't noticed. Anyway, this courier. Did he say how he knew me?"

"No." Nash shrugged, looking a little guilty still. "'Let Courier Six carry the package.' That's what he said. Like the Mojave'd sort you out of somethin'. Then he just up and walked out. Sounded like you too had a history of some sort."

Now it was Myina's turn to shrug. "No one I can think of." She had never really made friends with any of the other couriers. They met so rarely and were usually in competition with each other for jobs. And this one had paid good. It didn't make any sense her that someone would turn it down, none that she could think of.

"Maybe he thought your name was bad luck." Nash offered hopefully. "Hope he didn't see any trouble in that package of yours."

Myina pondered the idea for a minute, but seeing the look of remorse on Nash's face, she brightened up and shrugged it off. "Eh, no worries." She smiled. "It's probably just some superstition, like you said. Shit happens, right?"

Nash seemed a little comforted by her words and smiled. "Sure does, kid."

"Now," Myina took in a deep breath and pointed toward the corner counter. "Now, what's up with that heap o' metal over there?"


	5. The Best Laid Plans

Myina looked to the horizon where a dust storm was brewing. She sighed heavily and ED-E tweeled in response.

"Guess we need to find us some shelter." Myina repositioned her pack on her shoulders and groaned. She was in desperate need of a vendor to trade some of her loot to. She had located a pass through the rocky hills that would have given her an opportunity to shave a few days off of her journey to Boulder City, but had found it guarded by a deathclaw. She had gotten a good enough look at it to know that it was blind, but still didn't feel comfortable trying to take it on by herself. So she opted for the long way round, which meant Nipton.

She hadn't gotten far when she saw the dust storm coming, and knew she wouldn't be able to get to the town before it hit. It would be a grave mistake to try and continue on through it, so finding immediate shelter was a must. A quick assessment of her surroundings revealed an old run-down fuel station, so, sidearm in hand, Myina quickly made her way toward it.

A few dead radscorpions later, she was rummaging through the old crates inside the Poseidon Energy station. Sunset Sarsaparilla, yes thank you, some abandon caps, sweet, and ooh! a Star bottle cap! She pocked the items and cracked open the old sarsaparilla bottle, taking a swig. Myina had never been a huge fan of the stuff, preferring a cold Nuka Cola anytime, but seeing as she had been out of water for the past few hours, she chugged the bottle gratefully. ED-E beeped somewhere in the room and she turned to look for him. He was hovering over the counter look curiously at a magazine lying there.

At least, Myina figured it was curiosity. She was all kinds of confounded about the eyebot. It seemed to have a personality to it that one just didn't find in other robots. The closest thing to a personality any of them had in fact, was the upbeat and overwhelming Mr. Handy. And that was pretty flat as far as she was concerned. ED-E, on the other hand, seemed to have a genuine personality. It, he?, had been interestingly excited when she'd first revived him in Nash's shop, and had bounced up and down in the air before following her out of the store and down the road. He seemed genuinely pleased when she called him ED-E, instead of "eyebot" or "bot".

Damn, she must be getting lonely. Less than half a day out and she was getting attached to damned robot. She could practically hear Randall laughing at her.

Myina walked over to the hovering eyebot and looked at what he was interested in. The magazine was old and a little faded, but she could clearly make out the title, Pugilism Illustrated, scrawled in flat letters at the top. Myina wasn't exactly sure what pugilism was; she'd only received a basic education as a child, and fancy words hadn't really factored into that. But if the illustration was anything to go by, she imagined it had something to do with hand-to-hand combat.

"Want me to read it to you?" Myina said jokingly. But to her surprise, ED-E breedled excitedly. Guess that's a yes?

She picked up the magazine and settled onto the floor near a window. The wind was beginning to pick up outside and she could see the sand and dust whirling by. ED-E floated down to her side and watched her as she carefully opened the old booklet, clearing her throat.

* * *

Craig Boone woke suddenly to the howling of a dust storm. He sighed heavy, and brought the heels of his hands up to his eyes. It had been one of the rare days he was actually getting a decent sleep. Too bad. He rose from his position on the bed and stood, crossing the darkened room to the window. There wasn't much to see, which put him on edge a little bit. He vaguely thought about his counterpart, Manny, up in the sniper's watch, and whether he was still there or had chosen to step inside away from the storm. Heavy winds and low visibility rendered a sniper near useless.

Boone sighed again and walked toward the peeling fridge in the corner of the room, pulling a beer out and sitting at the table. He stared at the phone in front of him and he swigged from the dusty bottle, wondering why he kept the old thing around. It wasn't like he had anyone to call, or that anyone would want to talk to him, for that matter. The last two people that he'd been close to were either dead or might as well be. He didn't talk to anyone else in his old unit, and certainly had no desire to speak with his previous CO. No one in town wanted anything to do with him.

The dark thoughts of his lonely existence crossed his mind, not for the first time, and he figured it wouldn't be the last. Boone emptied the beer bottle and got up to grab another, catching sight of the clock on his nightstand. He still had another four hours before his shift. Fuck.

Boone flicked the radio on and flopped down in bed as Mr. New Vegas' voice filled the empty apartment.

_"You're all so great and we're gonna keep you listening all day. I've got news for you. A package courier found shot in the head near Goodsprings has reportedly regained consciousness and made a full recovery. Now that is a delivery service you can count on."_

Boone rolled his eyes. What a fucking world to live in. He let his eyes droop as he rested against the headboard of the bed.

_"The news has been brought to you by the Vikki and Vance Casino. Vikki and Vance: Be our partners in crime. Gonna play a song for you right now, and it's about that special someone you only find once in a Blue Moon."_

As he began to drift off to sleep again, Frank Sinatra's voice crooning in his skull, Boone couldn't help but remember the lights of New Vegas dancing in the background. A figure stood, smiling at him. It had only been three years since he'd last seen her, and yet, she was as clear as day. Carla. She was wearing the same dress she'd worn the night they met and she was tugging on his arm, dragging him into The Tops. She wanted to go see the shows, play some cards. It was her scene.

_"Merchants are saying there's been little contact with traders from Nipton in recent days, causing concerns that the isolated town may be in trouble. Now, I've got a very special song for you . . ."_

* * *

Myina jerked awake just as she was about to fall over. She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. Not the most comfortable sleeping position, that's for sure. She stood and stretched, ED-E rising up to eye-level and chirping to her.

"Mornin'," Myina cracked her back, "ooooohhh, yeah." She looked blearily about the room, then stooped to grab her bag before checking the window. The dust storm had settled and dawn was about an hour off, if she had to guess. She normally preferred to travel about at night; more shadows for her to hide in. Also, it wasn't so hot that she wanted to attempt to pounce around naked. But having been in Goodsprings under the care of Doc, she had been forced into a daytime schedule. It did not make her happy.

As she stepped outside, Myina looked left, then right. Technically, Nipton was equally far away from her as the Mojave Outpost, and it was more in the direction she was headed. But as she thought about it, she figured she was more likely to get some gear there, what with all the NCR soldiers running around the area. Nipton would be a good place to restock on food and medical supplies. But right now, she need bullets more than she needed bread.

Myina arrived at the Mojave Outpost just as the sun was spreading across the desert, lighting up the hats of the two large figures of the Unification tribute. She trekked up to the headquarters, nodding at several NCR boys who were changing guard. Inside the building, fluorescent lights flickered dimly. An officer stood behind a counter filling out some forms. He looked up to her as she stepped close.

"Hey there!" She smiled at the handsome major. "Anyway I could get some supplies?"

Myina noticed him stand a little straighter. "Yes, actually. We've got a little surplus here for trade. And of course, we can do repairs." He smiled at her, his dark eyes warm and welcoming.

"Good! I could use some repairs." She handed her things over, and was pleased when he accepted from of her salvaged goods in return for repairs on her sidearm and rifle along with a couple boxes of bullets.

"It'll just be awhile." Major Knight said, taking her items in hand. "If you want to head over to the barracks, Lacey should still be there. She doesn't close up the bar since so many traders come in at odd hours."

Myina nodded and headed for the door, ED-E following closely behind her. The front area of the barracks was mostly empty, aside from the occasional trader slumped over a drink. Myina stepped up to the bar and nodded to the woman she assumed was Lacey.

"New face in the Outpost." Lacey eyed her up and down. "Must've come from the North. So, what'll you have?"

"Hey, I was wonderin-" Myina began, but she was suddenly cut off by another woman, sitting at the other end of the bar, shouting to Lacey.

"She'll have a glass of whiskey!" The woman in the cowboy hat raised her drink and pointed sloppily at Lacey, trying to articulate her words in vain. "A-not-her."

"No. I've already told you twice, Cass, you've had enough." Lacey snapped back at her, the woman muttering something inaudible in reply, before turning to Myina. "You were saying?"

"Um, I just wanted to see what you got. I could use some water and food rations." Myina laid some caps on the bar, still staring that the drunken woman.

"Sure thing." Lacey began grabbing some water from the shelf behind her. The woman peered at Myina and turned her pointed finger on her.

"What're you lookin' at?" She drooled a little, but didn't seem to notice. Myina raised her eyebrows, but before she could respond the woman turned her eyes on ED-E. "What the fuck is that fucking thing?! It looks like a floating garbage can." ED-E chirped in reproach and Myina folded her arms in front of her.

"Don't mind her," Lacey intervened, nodding towards the woman, whose cowboy hat was teetering off her head. "Cass is kind of the town drunk here. She'll not give you any trouble."

Myina nodded, losing interest, and turned her attention to packing the rations into her now-lighter backpack, Cass grumbling about whiskey and flying trash.

* * *

Collecting her items from Major Knight, Myina set out for Nipton. She wasn't planning on taking much time there on her way to Boulder City, hoping to just grab some more supplies and getting right back on the road.

But lately, it seemed her plans were all for naught. Maybe she should just stop thinking things out loud in her head. Whatever divines had crossed her path sure didn't like her making plans.


	6. On Guard

"Well, shit."

Myina stared up at the pillar of smoke rising over the town of Nipton. She sighed. This can't be good. Why can't things ever go according to plan? Why is that too much to ask for?

She circled to the side of the town and crouched down, readying her rifle. She found herself wishing all over again that Major Knight would've had a spare service rifle lying around because this Varmint Rifle was really not ideal. The only real equipment she'd managed get, from a passing trader no less, during her stop at the Mojave Outpost, was some leather armor. It was slightly used, but it was better than just wandering around in nothing but a tank top.

ED-E seemed to take note of her desire for stealth because he remained silent and moved low to the ground behind her. Myina silently thanked whoever had programmed him for their foresight.

Creeping slowly around one of the buildings, she got a better view of the lane leading into the center of town. On the steps of the building she assumed was meant to be city hall were five people in crimson and sports gear. In front of them, a pile of burning rubble and what she knew could only be the bodies of the townsfolk.

Mother. fucking. Legion.

Could her luck get any worse? Her brain still struggled a little with the specifics, but she remembered enough about the Legion to know that this was some seriously bad news. She took stock of her surroundings. With only her and ED-E, she didn't have much with which to put up a fight, but she could easily get around them, couldn't she? It'd certainly save her from the possibility of getting captured, and the thought of that alone was enough to make her stomach turn. Getting out of there would be priority number one, followed closely by priority two: not getting noticed. But the openness of the surrounding area wasn't going to offer much protection for escape. She was amazed she'd been able to get this close without being noticed.

She crept quickly back around the building and noticed that the wall she was pressed against belonged to the town general store. Maybe she could hide out there until nightfall. That would certainly offer more protection for her to get the hell out of there undetected.

As quietly as possible, she eased the door open and slipped inside, closing it after ED-E and floated in after her.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

Myina nearly jumped out of her skin as she whipped around to point her rifle at the body the voice belonged to.

A man sat in a chair in the center of the adjoining room, clutching his legs. Seeing the blue of his clothing, Myina knew she could trust him at least as far as him not ratting her out to the Legion asshats outside. His bloodied legs seemed to confirm that he was definitely not with them.

"Shhh!" She snapped, moving to crouch in front of him. "I was just passing through and if you don't mind, I'd really rather not get captured, thank you."

"Well I don't give two fucks. I've already got my lottery number and I get to live. But I don't want to piss them off anymore, so you can get the fuck out of here." The guy yelled at her.

"Lottery number?" Myina looked over his legs.

"Look, I got second place, so I got to keep my life, but they fucking crippled me okay?" He motioned wildly to his bloody legs.

Myina set her rifle down and pulled a bag off her shoulders to retrieve a stimpack for him. "If you'll just keep quiet I can help you out."

The man put on a heavily sarcastic tone. "Oh gee thanks! I don't know whatever I would do without you!"

Myina rolled her eyes as she dug into her pack. "What's your name? No, wait, I don't give a flying fuck, look, I'm just waiting til dark so I can get the hell out of here, okay? I won't be any trouble. I'm just gonna sit quietly in the corner until-"

BANG

Myina suddenly found herself splattered with the guy's brains, blood and grey matter streaking across her face and front. She ducked and spun on the attacker, reaching for her rifle.

A Legion soldier stood in the doorway grinning wolfishly at her, shotgun aimed directly at her head, another soldier standing in front of him reloading his own weapon. Myina froze, her hand still several inches from the rifle. A quick calculation made her sure the guy could blow her head off before she could wrap her finger over the trigger. Fuck fuck fuck.

"Well, what have we here?" The Legionnaire who'd been reloading his weapon strolled toward her, kicking the rifle further away. He pulled her roughly to her feet and pulled her sidearm out of its holster on her hip. Myina's thoughts raced, trying to pinpoint a plan for escape. Her hand-to-hand wasn't good enough to take down this guy before the other one got a shot off and managed to at least warn the others to come running, if not clip her.

As they pulled her from the building she suddenly realized she had no idea where ED-E was. He was no where in sight and the neither of the Legionaries seemed to have noted anything. Well, what the fuck good is he?

Myina looked up to see the groaning figures of townsfolk who had been crucified along the pathway. They were mostly men, she noted. This was not going to bode well for her. She knew damn well what women meant to the Legion and getting crucified would be a better option than that. Maybe if she pissed them off just enough…

"Don't worry." A snaky voice caught her attention and she looked up to the man standing at the top of the town hall steps. "I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by." The man slowly stepped toward her, his voice making her cringe.

"Useful?" She intoned, trying to mask any emotions from the repulsive man in front of her. Myina eyed him up and down. He wore the same crimson as the others, but must have been of a higher rank as he was the only one in proper armor instead of the makeshift cover the others had cobbled together from abandoned sports gear of the Old World. Dark glasses masked his eyes and he wore the skinned pelt of what Myina could only guess was a coyote or nightstalker.

"I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton. To memorize every detail," the man drawled. "And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."

Myina fought to keep her expressions in check and she cooly quipped back "What 'lessons' did you teach here, exactly?" The men on either side of her laughed quietly at her ignorance.

"Where to begin?" The coyote-man smiled, "that they were weak and we are strong? This much was known already." He moved closer to her. "But the depths of their moral sickness, their dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson. Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself - the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores." He reached a hand up and ran a finger down her cheek, making her feel sick.

"So you slaughtered innocent civilians?" Myina struggled to keep herself in check, not wanting to make him too angry until she had her entire plan fleshed out in her head. She was close. She just need to stall for a little more time while she figured out the last few details.

The man scoffed at her reply. "Innocent? Hardly. I told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, other made to watch. And I announced the lottery. Each one clutched their ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when 'loved ones' were dragged away to be killed." He motioned to the crucified people down the lane. "No innocent they were not. Cowardly, though. They outnumbered us yet not once did they try to resist. They stood and hoped their turn would not come. Each cared only of himself."

Myina forced a laugh. "Ah yes, the human condition. So you freed the world from their terrible presence, then? And who is it I have the honor of thanking for this?"

The man's smile widened, making him look like the animal on his head. "I am Vulpes Inculta, of Caesar's Legion. I serve my master as the greatest of his Frumentarii."

Myina nodded as if contemplating his name, then elbowed the Legionarie on right, ducked and grabbed the combat knife from her boot, spun around slashing the blade across the other Legionnaire's face, and plunging it deep into Vulpes' neck. His eyes bulged and he clutched at the dagger. She didn't have the time to savour the look on his face though, quickly grabbing the pistol from his side and turning on the other men. The one she'd hit in the side and regained himself and was already pulling his shotgun back out when she put a bullet in his brain.

Two other soldiers were running toward her, readying their weapons. She raised the pistol to them but was suddenly and forcefully knocked to the ground. A searing pain shot through her right arm and leg and two dogs snapped their jaws onto her limbs. Myina yelled out in pain. She shoved the pistol, still clutched in her left hand, to the head of the dog on her arm as she heard the whizz of bullets fly past her ear. She pulled the trigger and the dog quickly released its jaw in its death. She kicked the other off with her free leg and pulled the trigger twice on the dog. It too went down.

A bullet grazed her cheek, the heat of it feeling like a flash of lightening against her skin. She tried to aim the pistol through the dust the dogs had kicked up but couldn't see where the other Legionnaires were standing. Myina rolled over to the side and ducked behind the pile of burning bodies. The smell of it overwhelmed her senses, and she clenched her jaws against the nausea and pain.

Suddenly, there was yelling from the two men and she heard two quick "pew"s, what she vaguely placed as energy bolts. What the hell?

It was very quiet then. Myina cautiously peered above the burning pile and nearly accidently shot ED-E, who hummed over to her, excitedly tweeling. Myina blinked in surprise and stood slowly. The two Legionnaires lay in the dirt, holes burned into their heads. She looked up to the eyebot.

"Was that you?" She asked it. ED-E gave what she interpreted as a series of affirmative squawks as he bounced up and down in the air. "Huh," she nodded approvingly. "Guess you're useful after all."

ED-E trilled gleefully. Myina laughed. "Well, guess we should roll these guys and see what we can get out of them.

* * *

Boone was going out of his fucking mind. He sighed and cracked his knuckles, looking out over the darkened Mojave wasteland. It was a full moon and the desert was lit in a wash of blues and silvers. The same damn desert as yesterday. And the day before that. And all the days before that. Nothing ever changed. And that bored the shit out of him.

He thought back to his time in his old unit. The first experience after getting through basic: training hell. 1st Recon Battalion, the snipers of the NCR force, were known across the west as being the best of the best. But to become the best of the best, they were put through the wringer that is the NCR 1st Recon training schedule. A two week obstacle course of pure misery meant to drive out anyone who wasn't willing or able, making them suffer through sleep deprivation, starvation, dehydration, and sand and dirt in places it has no business being, all the while balancing running for their lives and taking out every target thrown at them.

But Boone had gotten through it all. Standing before his commanding officer, bloodied and exhausted, but tall and proud. Craig Boone, the kid from the cattle fields of California, now the cream of the crop in the NCR's best. He'd never have to deal with day after day of herding smelly, stupid brahmin or his drunken uncles berating him while he spooned out his meager helping of dinner, the only real meal they allowed him to have. No, he was his own man now. And he had proved what he could do.

And yet here he was. The nighttime shift sniper of a little town in the fucking wasteland. Without a family. Without a friend. And without a goal in life. Aside from the one he wanted most of all. The one he couldn't understand why he still hadn't gotten himself out there to start. The one goal he couldn't seem to bring himself to acheive: find the person who had betrayed him and Carla.

Boone's jaw tightened at the thought. Three years. Three years and he still hadn't gotten any new information about her kidnap. And now, the people in town would barely even look at him; hell even No-Bark avoided him. He was left all alone in a town he struggled to consider home. He had thought about leaving so many times that he even had a bag packed in his room. It was left to the dust in the corner and at least once a day he would stare at it and think about the life he could possibly have. But in the end, he was resolved to stay. He **had **to stay. At least until he found out who had betrayed his wife. Boone knew he owed her that much.

And so he stood. The lone figure in the night, staring out across the wastes, silently gaurding the town from whatever demons might lie ahead. All the while wondering if they weren't already inside the gates.


	7. Flights of Fancy

Myina's leg hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. She'd used the last of her stimpacks just to be able to walk and hold her gun again. But they hadn't fully healed what she assumed had to be a fractured tibia. Given the high rank of the jackwad legionary she'd killed, though, she was in no mood to stick around Nipton and wait for any other potential buddies of his to show up. So, with ED-E's help, she'd quickly nabbed what valuable items she could carry from them and made her way out of town, limping away into the setting sun. She'd double checked her Pip-Boy and knew that if she followed the highway north, she'd eventually hit a secondary NCR station that she could probably trade some of the looted equipment from. If not there, it appeared that there was a small town not much farther north she could stop at.

ED-E hummed along just behind her as she struggled down the road. Not much time had past when she suddenly stopped dead and threw herself to the ground. Even in the fading light, she could make out the brilliantly coloured crimson of more Legion asshats up ahead.

"Fuck." She hissed, pulling her Varmint Rifle up and eyeing the soldiers through the meager excuse for a scope attached to the top. The dirty glass lens revealed two of the legionaries flanking what must have been a raid camp. Myina spied several tents and a few more soldiers in the distance. And then. . .

"Goddammit." Myina's heart sank. Chained to each other and knelt by a fire were two civilians, likely captured from Nipton and on their way to being sold as slaves. Even if she thought she could over power all four legionaries on her own without getting the two captives killed, she was in no physical shape for it. Her leg could barely hold herself up in a standing or walking position and her arm ached just lifting the rifle. She was sure she would be useless in any hand-to-hand combat situation at the moment.

"We'll have to go around them." Myina whispered to ED-E. "Come back for them once we get patched up." ED-E beeped out an agreement and Myina began to army crawl back on the path.

It took almost thirty minutes, agonizingly slow and painful minutes, to clear the camp. Once she could stand, Myina replaced her rifle on her pack and began to move as quickly as her leg would allow towards Ranger Station Charlie. It should take no more than another hour or two to get there, which would be good since it would be getting fairly dark by then. Not having any night-vision gear was really beginning to piss her off.

* * *

"Halt!" A man in tan clothes held his shotgun in direction. The pealing sign behind him depicting the double headed bear of the New California Republic told her she was in an at least moderately safe place. "What's your business?"

Myina raised her hands to her sides to show she had no intention of violence. "Just looking for supplies and rest," she panted.

"Well I don't think we've got any supplies here. You'll have to talk to Stepinac about the board. Just keep those guns of yours pointed to the ground and you'll get no trouble from us though."

The man waved her through and Myina nodded, passing him to head to the building her pointed her towards. He gave a strange look to her floating companion, but made no comment.

Inside the office, another Ranger sat at a filthy desk in the dimly lit room. He stood as Myina entered, and gave a stoic kind of look.

"McCarren doesn't like it when civilians wander into military outposts, so if you're here on business, better make it quick." He snapped rather gruffly.

The corner of Myina's mouth twitched. "Look, I'm just looking for supplies and rest, okay? I'm hurt and I'm tired and I just want to lighten my pack a little."

The ranger looked her up and down with his beady eyes for a moment, then caught sight of the crimson in her bag. "What's that shit?" He seemed to suddenly be on guard and Myina quickly explained.

"I ran into some Legion south of here. Assholes had a thought in their mind they'd make a messenger outta me."

The man studied her for a minute. "And?"

"They were mistaken." Myina responded simply.

The ranger thought for a moment silently, then seemed to decide something to himself. "Well we have been getting extra medical supplies here for some reason. I suppose I could part with a few as a bit of a reward for those uniforms there. If you're okay with bounty work, that is." Myina almost laughed in response, but just nodded instead. The man continued, "But you can't stay here. Ranger Beaumont may be out on patrol right now, but he's in charge and he's for damn sure we're not running a hotel. Novac is only about thirty minutes up the road, and you'll find a place to stay the night there."

Myina frowned, but accepted anyway. It's not like she had much of a choice. In the end, she walked away with a handful of stimpacks, some Radaway and Rad-X, and a doctor's bag after handing over the Legion armor she'd managed to haul. She was sure she was getting the better end of the deal, but decided she'd just accept having to limp up to Novac as payment enough in return.

* * *

As the ranger had promised, not thirty minutes later, Myina found herself standing outside the gates to Novac, staring up the back of a rather large reptilian-like creature. Or at least, a building shaped like a large reptilian-like creature. Man, what in the hell were those Old Worlders ever thinking. She vaguely recalled something from her early days of schooling, a dinosant? dinasar? Dinosaur. That was it. Whatever _that_ was. There was too much haze around her earlier memories for them to really be of any use. Myina shrugged, more to herself than to anyone else, and walked into the office at the front of the gate, the warm glow of the interior lights inviting her in with promises of sleep.

The office was rather cozy looking. She noted a Mojave Express dropbox to her left, and eyed the Sunset Sarsaparilla machine at the far end of the room with disappointment. Did no one else like Nuka Cola? Mr. New Vegas' voice spoke softly to the room from a radio in the corner.

"Well, welcome to you!" An older woman with large glasses and greying hair smiled at her from behind the counter to her right. "You look tired from the road. Why don't you relax for a spell, let this fine town take care of you?"

The woman had a grandmotherly tone to her voice and smiled welcomingly. Myina blinked at her. "We haven't met yet." she said, deadpan.

The woman seemed to falter for a second, but replied with the same friendly tone. "Oh, what am I doing? I got to thinking about making a good impression and plain forgot to tell you my name. I'm Jeannie May. I take care of the folks here at the motel. Long as they aren't troublemakers."

Myina internally berated herself for her reaction as she moved toward the woman. She realized that she was so unused to the people around her being friendly that she found herself being suspicious of it. That wasn't fair to Jeannie May over here, now was it? She should try to be nicer.

"So . . . what is this place?"

Jeannie May smiled so wide it made Myina a little unnerved. "We're in a little desert oasis, name of Novac. This is the Dino Dee-lite Motel, and it's mine." She smiled even broader, if that was possible.

Myina nodded. "So what's there to do in this town?"

"Well, there's the town mascot, he's a sight. You probably already saw him when you came in but you can go up inside too." She chirped in response.

"Uh huh. Well, um, I'd like to rent a room please." Myina smiled through her exhaustion.

"Well I think that's a fine idea! I'll give you a good flat rate and you can stay as long as you like. Least til the busy season comes. Sound good?"

Myina doubted there _was_ a busy season, but she nodded anyway. She paid Jeannie May the 100 caps she asked for and was handed a room key in return and pointed toward the first room on the balcony. Myina said goodnight and retired quickly.

The inside of the motel room was a bit shabby, but certainly better than sleeping on the desert floor. She dumped her pack on the floor near the dingy couch and locked the door tightly. It had been one hell of a long day and Myina could barely get herself out of her leather armor before she collapsed on the dusty bed and fell into a deep deep sleep.

* * *

The morning light pierced the sky and Boone surveyed the landscape. Stifling a yawn, he stretched out his arms, gathered up his rifle and canteen, and exited the sniper's nest. As he stepped down the stairs of the dinosaur building he caught sight of Manny talking with Cliff in the courtyard. Locking eyes with the door of his room, Boone caught only a few words as he passed the two.

". . . says there's new visitor in town. Looks like a merc of some kind. . ." Cliff informed Manny in his brisk voice.

Manny looked Boone's way as he passed, but didn't try to stop him. He'd learned by now not to. The permanent scowl on Boone's face a warning sign to keep Manny away.

Slamming the door of his room shut, Boone rubbed his eyes and flicked on the radio.

"_Caesar's Legion continues to fortify its position in Nelson, where it remains a constant concern for Camp Forlorn Hope and the nearby town of Novac."_

Boone grabbed a mostly empty bottle of whiskey and polished off the rest in one go. It would help knock him out sooner. And the sooner the better. Most of the night had been spent in the same loop of thought. How he'd tracked down Carla after her kidnapping. The day she'd told him she was pregnant. The first time he'd ever seen her. The hilltop at Bitter Springs . . .

He closed his eyes and chucked the bottle into the trash, reaching for another on the shelf near to his bed. Cracking the seal he gulped down almost a quarter of it, before tilting the bottle away from himself to suck in a chest full of air.

"_Tensions are brewing in Freeside between the ruling gang known as the Kings and the large number of NCR squatters seeking refuge there. Mojave, mo' problems. Am I right?"_ Mr. New Vegas laughed and Boone rolled his eyes, setting the whiskey bottle down on the nightstand and leaning over to unlace his boots. He realized suddenly that the radio announcer's voice was actually the one he'd heard the most in the past year. More than even any of the people in the town. Maybe besides No-Bark, when he would go on his midnight mind-benders, wandering around the town talking to himself.

God how pathetic. Boone lay back on his bed. _What the fuck am I doing?_

He didn't have to think about it long as he drifted into an abyss of sleep, hoping against hope that it would be an empty, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"_Sorry kid. The game was rigged from the start." _

_BANG_

Myina snapped awake. Her head spun momentarily. Regaining her senses, she let herself fall back on to the bed and groaned, rubbing her face.

Reliving the night she was shot was not a new thing for her. It had been worse back in Goodsprings, but was slowly fading. None-the-less, it still managed to wake her _every damn morning _in the worst possible way. Lt. Hayes had been jolted awake by her own sharp rousing the morning after they'd spent the night together. He'd tried to calm her at first, but quickly learned that Myina was not the type to let another person console her. She'd shrugged him off quickly with a joke, and then suggested a little sheet-play to cheer herself up. He'd, of course, happily obliged.

A small tweeling sound reached through to her as she squished her eyes shut against the morning light cutting through into the room. Relenting to ED-E, she sighed and looked up at him, hovering quietly over the bed.

"Good morning, sweet thing." She croaked out, yawning deeply. ED-E responded happily, doing a loop in the air. Myina giggled a little, then dragged herself out of bed. She spotted a radio on the bureau and turned the dial.

"_Mojave, mo' problems. Am I right?"_ Mr. New Vegas' confident voice greeted her and she stretched her hands above her head, heading to the bathroom. Turning the rusted knobs on the bathtub, she sighed contentedly as water began to pour from the spout.

"_You know, sometimes the journey beats the destination. Especially if your spurs go Jingle Jangle Jingle, and you meet some nice gals along the way." _Myina tapped her foot along with the song as she soaked her aching muscles in the warm water, mulling over in her mind what she planned to do today. She'd ask around about Chesty, just in case he'd happened through here on his way to Boulder City and dropped some useful information. And, of course, she'd have to ask around about asshole in the checkered suit. It was possible he'd been spotted around here. _It'd be hard to miss him if he had_, she mused.

Letting herself take her time getting ready to face the desert outside, Myina planned her day in her head. She wasn't in any particular rush to head out, but she knew that she should really hit the road before noon. Chesty might not stick around Boulder City for long. She dried off, dressed, gulped down some Cram for breakfast (about the only food item in her pack,) and headed down to the office.

"Good morning!" Jeannie May chirped from behind the counter. Christ, had she moved at all? Myina walked toward her, planting as friendly a smile as she could muster on her face.

"Good morning. Say, I meant to ask you last night: I'm looking for a gentleman in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?"

Jeannie May nodded in instant recognition. "Well, he might've been wearing a fancy outfit but he wasn't any kind of gentleman to me," she replied sharply. "Had his nose stuck so high in the air, you couldn't see it above the clouds. City folk," she shook her head. "They always think they deserve better than what they got."

City folk, huh? She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to New Vegas.

Jeannie May continued on her rant. "Those hoodlums he was with seemed to know Manny for some reason. He's out daytime sniper, up in the dinosaur's mouth. You'll find him there now, if you want to ask him about it."

"Snipers?" Myina queried. She suddenly realized that for such a put-together town, she couldn't remember having seen any guards on her way in.

"Oh yes, we've got two young gentlemen snipers watching the road day and night, keeping the _trash_ out of Novac. They've been a blessing."

"Mmmm. Any place to buy some stuff in town?"

"Go see Cliff Briscoe at the Dino Bite Gift Shop and tell him I sent you." She nodded in the direction of the dinosaur building. "I think he gets lonely standing around in that dino belly all day. He'll be glad for the company."

Myina nodded her thanks and headed out the door, going back to her room. She gathered up the items she wanted to sell and headed for the dino building. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Trotting up the stairs, she paused briefly to look out over the desert. It really was quite beautiful, in a weird sort of way. There was so much death and anguish through most of it, but every once in awhile you'd come across a little "oasis", like Jeannie May called it. Novac seemed like a quiet and tight community. It reminded her vaguely of a home she'd always dreamed of.

She shook her head and pulled the door open. Dreams were not a productive use of her time right now.

The inside of the Dino Dee-Lite was much darker, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. There were no windows in the tiny shop, but there was still more merchandise here than she'd seen in a long time. The store was neat and as clean as any other place had been. Novac was seeming oddly more and more appealing. A man behind the counter of the shop smiled hopefully at her.

"Welcome to the Dino Bite Gift Shop!" This must be Cliff Briscoe. "If you're here for the T-Rex figurines, you're just in time! We've got just a few left."

Myina cocked an eyebrow. "T-Rex figurines? Um, no, can't say that I am."

Cliff's face fell. "Darn it, no one ever buys the T-Rex's."

"Sorry. But, uh, do you have any guns? Supplies?"

Cliff sighed and began to pull out a few things. "Yeah, I suppose. What're you looking for?"

She sifted through his inventory, and pulled a stimpack and a radaway for purchase. Laying down all she had to sell. They went back and forth on the prices for a bit before they finally settled on a decent sum. Myina's eyes caught a gun that she had missed before.

"How about that one?" She pointed to it.

"That gun? Well, I guess I could part with it for, say, 5,000?" Cliff tried.

"_Five?!_" Myina exclaimed. "That's barely worth two. Come on. I'll give 1,500 for it."

He thought for a second. "2,500."

"1,700." Myina countered.

"2,200."

"1,800. **Tops**."

Cliff studied her for a minute. "2,000 and I'll throw in a box of 5.56's."

"Deal."

Myina smiled as she holstered the new gun. She definitely preferred having two side-arms. It was better to have a backup in case one jammed or she ran out of ammo in the heat of battle.

"The sniper named Manny is up there, ya?" she pointed to the stairs on her left.

"That he is. Just be sure to give a knock before you go through the door. He's not quite as guarded as Boone, but he is still a sniper on detail." Cliff explained.

Myina nodded and gathered the rest of her purchases, heading for the sniper nest. She knocked lightly on the door and was greet with a short "Yeah?" before she swung the door open and stepped out into the daylight.

A man with tan skin and dark hair, capped with a red beret, turned in her direction. Myina caught sight of the crest that adorned the beret and recognized it as the NCR First Recon shield. Made sense. She'd heard of their reputation, of course. There weren't many in the Mojave who hadn't. The good and the bad. But she couldn't say she'd ever met on in person.

Myina stuck out her hand. He accepted it hesitantly. "My name's Myina. I've just come into town, passing through for the moment. Was told you'd be the person to help me out."

"Manny Vargas. I work security detail here. Heard you were around. What is it you're looking for?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest and raised his chin slightly. She could tell he still hadn't made up his mind about her yet.

"I'm looking for a man in a checkered suit. Jeannie May said you knew him." Myina studied his face as she said this.

"Sure I know of him. What do you want with him?" Manny was neutral, but guarded. She couldn't blame him. If he knew him, she might feel bad about telling him she planned to blow the fucker's head off.

"He's got something of mine." It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the whole truth.

Manny nodded. "You talking about the chip? Man, I don't think he'd giving it up. But hey, I can tell you where he was headed, but I need some help."

"Of course." Myina sighed and leaned against the wall of the dino's mouth. "What is it?"

Look, Novac? It's my home now. And I want that to be for good. I like it here and I've left too many homes behind." He looked genuinely concerned. "But the only resource we got here is junk. Without that, people wouldn't have anything to trade. They'd all have to leave."

"Okay?" Myina prompted him to continue.

"Well, they get most of it from that abandoned test site up the road. REPCONN. Recently, it got overrun by all these feral ghouls."

She sighed. "And you want me to take them out?"

Manny nodded. "If I'm not at my post, I'm getting rest. I've gotta watch the roads. The Legion is pushing too close and if they smell weakness, they'll barrel down on us. Boone and I are good, but we're not good enough to take on the Legion by ourselves."

Myina thought for moment. Feral ghouls. She shuddered. _Why did it have to be ghouls? _She rubbed her eyes. "Alright. Alright, fine. I'll take care of them." She could see the relief in Manny's eyes.

"Thanks. Look, I promise I'll tell you what I know, okay? Just clear that place out, come back here and the information is all yours. You see a rifle barrel sticking out of the dinosaur's mouth, you got a fifty-fifty shot it's me. Otherwise, it's Boone."

Myina nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll be back soon then." She headed for the door as Manny offered his thanks.

Chesty can wait, she supposed. It was unlikely that he'd be able to get very far in a few days so she could spare some time to clear out a building. But the question was, could she do it on her own? Sure she had ED-E, but he might not be enough to take down an entire building full of feral ghouls.

Stealth. That was the key. Always had been. And it would be the difference between her living and dying in this little mission. . .

* * *

A dry wind swept across the desert landscape, kicking some sand high into the sniper's nest where Craig Boone was perched, weary eyes on the road that headed east. His rifle was caught somewhere between resting and ready as he strained his ears in an attempt to identify the low rumbling that had started rolling over the mountains. It sounded vaguely mechanical, but he just couldn't think of what in the hell would make a sound like that.

He jerked the rifle higher as a large dust cloud rose behind the mountains, near to where the REPCONN test site was at. _What the fu-_

Suddenly, three large rockets came into view, climbing into the sky in a blinding haze of light and smoke. Two of the rockets shot straight, but the third seemed to limp a little and for a terrifying second, Boone saw its trajectory pointing directly toward the sleepy town of Novac. But it quickly righted itself, arcing toward the heavens. Even as he watched the rockets fade into the night sky, Boone could not seem to peel his eyes away, still tensed in a half crouch with his rifle almost to his face.

He wasn't sure what had just happened, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. But he was for damn sure that whatever he had just witnessed, well, he wasn't going to be the same again.

* * *

"**Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, if it ain't my good friend from Goodsprings!**"

Myina nearly twisted her foot as she jumped backward, startled out of her wits. A securitron stood near the gates of Novac, jolting her out of her silent and exhausted reverie. The soft glow of it's screen, depicting a cowboy's face grinning toothily at her, seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. And she was too tired, and frankly too annoyed, to search her strained mind for anything that might yield some information on the thing.

It had been a long, _long_, two days. Turned out that REPCONN was not only the site of feral ghouls, but a clan of still human-minded ones too, _and_ some mighty pissed off nightkin. Myina had exhausted her stock food, clean water, and nearly all of her medical supplies, not to mention her wits. _Ugh, ghouls_. She'd jury-rigged a kind of pack for ED-E so she could bring as much loot back to the town as possible in one go. When she had stepped into the night air, she'd had very little intention of ever returning to that place ever again. So Myina headed back to Novac, dragging herself through the weight of her pack and the through the grogginess of two days without sleep and the now dull ache of the injuries she'd sustained.

"Do I know you?" she snapped at the securitron.

"**Oh my. I'm sorry, friend. It's me Victor!**"

Victor. Of course. Doc Mitchell had said a robot by the name of Victor had been the one to pull her out of her shallow and all too early grave. She never had gone to see the robot. In truth, she had forgotten all about him since he never showed up in town again and no one else seemed to mention him. But now that she saw that cowboy face, vague images floated to the surface of her subconscious of the securitron and its cold claws pulling at her.

Myina sighed. "Victor. Hi. I'm sorry. It's just . . . been a long few days. Didn't recognize you. What're, um, what're you doing, uh, _here_?" she peered up at him through her blurried eyes.

"**Don't rightly know. I just got the notion to make my way to New Vegas. Reckon I'll find out when I get there.**"

"Ah. Uh huh. Listen, Victor. It's late, and I need to handle something before I go to bed. I'm sorry to be rude, but can we talk tomorrow?"

"**Well alrighty then! Be seein' you!**"

Fuck, that robot is loud. Myina trudged into the courtyard and up to her room, stepping just inside. She released ED-E from the pack he carried and set her own next to it on the couch. Turning to the little robot, she heaved a heavy sigh.

"Alright. You stay here. I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go tell Manny the site's cleared and see if he's got a stimpack or two on him. I could use one while we wait for Cliff to open shop."

ED-E beeped in response. If Myina didn't know any better, she'd say he sounded just as tired as she felt. Maybe he needed to recharge his batteries. Did he even have batteries? How did he fuel himself? She shook her head as she crossed the courtyard and dragged herself up the steps to the dino's mouth.

"Manny, the ghouls are gone. Site's clear. Listen, I could really use-"

Myina suddenly found herself face-to-face with the barrel of a rifle. Her groggy brain could barely process it enough for her to be properly shocked anymore. She blinked at it, then slowly followed the metal up to the face behind it. He was taller than her and wore shades and a red beret like Manny's.

"Goddamit! Don't sneak up on me like that." The man's quiet, husky voice reminded her what Manny had said. _Fifty-fifty it's him. Otherwise it's Boone._ "What do you want?" the man pressed.

She shook her head and lifted a hand to the rifle, gently pushing it out of her face. The man, Boone, didn't protest, but he also didn't lower it just yet either. "I was just looking for Manny. You expecting someone?" Myina replied irritatedly.

He was quiet. Then he lowered his rifle and stood straighter. "Yeah. I guess maybe I am. But not like you." Myina could see his eyes sweep her from under his dark sunglasses. He scoffed. "Huh. Maybe it should've been you I was expecting all along. . . Why are you here?" he asked sharply.

She sighed. _I'm really not in the mood for this shit_. "Hey, if you're looking for someone in particular I could tip you off if I see them." She responded sarcastically.

Boone snarled. "Yeah, well, if you see anybody wearing Legion crimson or a lot of sports equipment, you just let me know." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Do you treat everyone around here like this?" When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes. "Look, whatever. I'm just gonna go." Myina went to leave, but Boone suddenly stopped her.

"Wait." she turned on her heel to face him, not saying anything. He hesitated, then took in a deep breath. "You just got into town, right? Maybe you shouldn't go. Not just yet."

"So now you want me to stay?" Myina raised her eyebrows, her irritation growing.

"I need someone I can trust. You're a stranger. That's a start."

Her brain yelling at her for sleep, and her arm screaming louder for a stimpack. Myina couldn't help but let her frustration get the best of her. "You only trust strangers?"

Boone's face twitched. "I said it was start." he snapped.

She nodded, debating whether or not she should just walk out the door. Cliff had warned her Boone was a mite twitchy, but neither he nor Manny had said anything about him being such an asshole. Myina crossed her arms and looked at him pointedly. He seemed to take the hint.

"Nobody in this town looks me straight in the eye anymore." It sounded . . . sad. Regretful. Myina sighed and uncrossed her arms.

Trying again, she cleared her voice. "What do you want me to do?"

He looked out over the wasteland. "I want you to find something out for me. I don't know if there's anything to find, but I need someone to try." He turned back to her, and when she nodded, he continued. "My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch. They knew when to come, and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."

Another wasteland sorrow. Not the first time she'd heard a story like this one. She was sure it wasn't going to be the last. "You're trying to track down your wife?"

"My wife's dead." He responded quickly. "I want the son of a bitch who sold her."

Boone's cold hard expression should have told Myina not to ask the question that came immediately to mind. But her brain was fried and she asked it anyway. "How do you know your wife is dead?"

"I just know, alright? And that's all you need to know."

Myina nodded. "Fine. Alright. What do I do if I find this person?"

Boone nodded to a hill just in front of Dinky. "Bring him out in front of the nest while I'm on duty. I work nights. I'll give you my NCR beret to put on. It'll be our signal, so I know you're standing with him. And I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself."

She stared at him long and hard. Finally, and simply, she nodded.

Boone removed his beret and handed it over. "Good. I'll make it worth your while. And one more thing. We shouldn't speak again. Not until this is over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my they never know. Or the Legion will be after me next."

Again, Myina nodded, reaching for the beret. "I'll see what I can do." Boone nodded back and turned toward the horizon, apparently done with her now. She looked at the back of his head for a moment then turned and walked back down the stairs of Dinky. She mulled over in her tired mind what had just gone down. She didn't want to take time away from her job to hunt down Chesty, nor was she too keen on letting checkered-jacket-jackass get too much farther ahead of her. But she couldn't deny that down there somewhere, she was kind of a softy. She'd have to speak with Manny in the morning and decide what to do from there.


	8. Come Fly with Me

"_Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our program. This is Mr. New Vegas, and each and every one of you is wonderful in your own special way._"

Sunlight streamed into the dirty room through the boards over the window. Myina groaned and rubbed her eyes. What the hell time was it anyway? Or day for that matter?

She rolled out of bed and stretched her aching muscles, grabbing her one and only towel, a lucky find out here in the wastes, and heading for the bathroom. ED-E trilled a good morning tune softly from his post by the bed and Myina hummed in response.

"_It's just about time to get you some news._" Mr. New Vegas' voice was a strangely welcoming sound. Myina turned up the volume on her radio so that she could her his fatherly voice over the rush of water she ran in the tub.

"_NCR officials at Camp McCarran were relieved when technical difficulties with its monorail line to the New Vegas Strip proved easy to fix. One anonymous official told us a serious mechanical failure would have been a disaster because of the age of the train and the scarcity of the replacement parts._"

The monorail. She'd always wanted to ride on that. She still had dull memories of her first visit to New Vegas. As always she had approached in the dark of the night; the monorail had passed and Myina had been somewhat hypnotized by the sight of these lights racing their way through the desert. It had been the first time she'd seen anything like it. Artificial light wasn't a terribly common thing in the Mojave, except in more established settlements. Things Myina tended avoid. Even New Vegas was but a an oddity. Something to marvel at for a short time, and then happily leave be.

The warm water did wonders for Myina and she was soon feeling more refreshed. She dressed in her simple clothes, not feeling a need to wear her armor; her faded jeans, a somewhat large but light-materialed black shirt, and her skull bandana wrapped over her head. Her hair was starting to really grow back where it had needed to be shaved by Doc, but it was still very uneven, and the scar seemed to make more peaceful folk nervous, so she wasn't too keen on letting it show.

Myina scarfed down a modest meal of Cram before shouldering hers and ED-E packs, telling him she'd be back. The sun was already setting as she made her way to Dinky. She must have slept through the day. Myina wasn't surprised. She'd been utterly exhausted by the time she'd returned to her room, and she'd only had mere moments to crawl out of her armor and underclothes before collapsing in bed.

She'd all but forgotten her encounter with the stone-walled sniper named Boone until she'd taken a few minutes to soak in the bath. She couldn't deny that the man's story tugged at her heartstrings, but it was nothing she hadn't encountered before. All the travelling she did meant she tended to come across quite a few people with their own heart-wrenching tales, usually told to her by some lonely man who was several whiskeys ahead of her at whatever local bar she'd decided to occupy for the day. And of course, her bounties. They almost always had some reason for doing the things they did. Most of them tried to use their bad luck as an excuse, hoping to appeal to her humanity to somehow let them walk free. It never worked. Well, except once.

It was only her third job, shortly after finding employment with Randall &amp; Associates. She'd been tracking some dip named Cavendoh near Utah who'd beaten a local farmer to a pulp and was wanted, dead or alive, by the town council of Rounding. This was just before Caesar's Legion had swept in and shit all over everything, so a renegade town drunk was still pretty high on their priorities list. Myina had managed to track him to a cave several miles outside of the town. Cavendoh had given her a story dripping with sorrow about how the farmer had raped his wife years ago and then killed her so he'd spent months drinking away his pain until he finally snapped and taken his revenge. Myina had taken pity on him and decided that, since it seemed there were no further injustices to settle, the matter would be over. She'd foolishly let him go and decided to tell Randall he'd given her the slip.

A week later, Myina was horrified to discover that the man had killed two more in the town, one of the victims was a seventeen year-old kid who'd just started making his was in the world. That's when she learned the truth of the matter. Cavendoh had been a drunk for years before his wife's death; she was desperately unhappy in her marriage and had started a series of affairs around the town. The young boy, by all accounts, had merely had a crush on her. Giving her the attention she had so desperately wanted. But this still made him a target in Cavendoh's eyes, along with the two others she'd slept with. As for her death, it turned out she'd committed suicide. Left a note and everything.

Cavendoh was gunned down several days later by another bounty hunter, and Myina would have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life.

She always suspected that Randall knew the truth of what she'd done, but never said anything, until one day when she'd called in the completion of another bounty. He'd paid her, and with his usual masked expression and heavy drawl, told her "Yer startin' to learn this job isn't just trackin' the target, but learnin' the truth of the matter. The _whole_ truth."

Myina never let herself forget that. The whole truth. Everyone had their own truths to life. But sometimes, they just didn't line up with others. Usually her jobs were cut and dry. Jackass knocked over a few stores. Now they're a locked up jackass. But sometimes, just sometimes, things got a little more complicated. She knew Boone was going to be one of those jobs.

The bell on the door tinkled as she stepped into the musty shop. Cliff leaned against the wall behind the counter and smiled as she stepped in.

"Well I'll be. It's been a drip since I've seen you. Was beginning to think you'd moved on." Myina gave a polite smile.

"Not yet. Just running some work. Got some salvage for you too." She dropped her bags on the floor and Cliff laughed. Today was his lucky day.

An hour later Myina had managed to sell all of the salvage to Cliff and had bought up his stock of .308's, 10mm's and 5.56's. She'd also grabbed the rest of his Stimpacks, Radaways and Rad-X's, always preferring to be on the safe side. She even bought a dinosaur, just to make his day.

About the time they were wrapping up, Manny trotted down the stairs of the sniper's nest. "Well, hey hey! There she is. You take care of the ghoul problem we've been having?"

Myina nodded. "That I did." She smiled again. "It quite a long story, and kind of an interesting one. But I'll spare you the details. It's all cleared. Should be safe for the salvage groups to head back in there again."

Manny grinned, the relief on his face almost infectious. "That's good news! Now about my end of the bargain-" The door to the shop opened swiftly and Boone stepped in, on his way to take up his post.

The sudden tension between Boone and Manny was practically suffocating. Even Cliff seemed to step back in anticipation of trouble. Myina could see Boone's eyes lock steely hard onto Manny for a brief moment, before flicking toward her, as if trying to decide how he felt about the two of them interacting. Then he merely nodded his head in greeting to Cliff, and swept sternly past the group, up to the sniper's nest. Manny's mood seemed to drop significantly.

Myina looked curiously between the two, then cleared her throat softly. "I hear there's something you guys call a bar just outside the gates. Let's grab a drink and you can tell me all about this checkered suit."

* * *

Boone closed the door to the shop behind him, and stared out over the darkening Mojave landscape. His jaw was clenched and he was gripping his rifle tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

If she was on friendly terms with Manny, would she give him a proper look? Would she actually do as he'd asked and find the person responsible? Or would Manny just tell her that his wife didn't deserve the justice? If Manny got to her first, if he warped her mind and she came back and told him she'd gotten nothing, then he'd have to . . .

It suddenly occurred to Boone that he had no idea what her name was. His grip loosened as he looked back on their conversation the night before. The woman had been obviously distressed, physically at least. Her hair had been rumpled and her armor torn in some places. He realized that she'd even had blood stains on her, and that she'd been holding her arm up to her chest, as if she'd injured it. And yet he had been so absorbed in his own thoughts, he hadn't even asked her name, let alone if she was going to be okay.

Weariness overtook him. Boone sighed deeply and slumped down on the stool near the opening of the dinosaur. A light wind caressed his ragged face as he looked out to the horizon where a slip of a moon was beginning to rise.

He should give her the benefit of the doubt. When he was honest with himself, his overbearing distrust for everyone in the town after Carla had disappeared, the way he'd treated them all with accusation and anger, it was no surprise none of them wanted anything to do with him.

He had to call upon what little patience he had left, or else he'd lose the help of the one person left who might be willing to help him.


	9. They Went That-a-way

Myina dropped her pack off at her room while Vargas returned his rifle to his own, and they met up at the tent. It was a poor excuse for a bar. Some random tables and stools set up inside the tent with a few ice boxes and a lone bartender. But it was a place to sit and drink and talk, and sometimes that's all you needed.

Myina decided she'd get her own info first, then see if she could press Manny about Boone's wife. She'd seen enough lonely men in her travels to know how to get what she needed out of one, and Manny was definitely lonely. Myina almost hated to work him over like this; Manny honestly seemed like a decent guy, but she had a job to do, and right now he was supposed to be just another mark.

Myina sipped her whiskey slowly, letting the burn of it warm her in the cooling desert air.

"So the guy you're looking for, name's Benny. He was travelling with some members of my old were going to Boulder City." Manny started, slipping onto the stool to the left of hers.

Boulder City. That was where Chesty, her current bounty, was last seen. Sweet. Two birds with one stone. "Any idea why they went that way?"

"No clue. I know Benny hadn't paid up yet. Maybe that was where they were supposed to get square."

Myina rummaged through her still addled brain. "Where is Boulder City, again?"

Manny looked at her a little confused for a second. "It's straight up Route 93 from here. Just keep following the road north. Look, I know it's none of my business, but what is it with you and this guy? I mean, you really tracking a poker chip across the damn Mojave?"

She laughed a little, and decided she'd be a little more straightforward with him. She shifted so that the right side of her head was facing his direction, then lifted her bandana. Manny gaped momentarily at the scar. "He do that to you?" Myina nodded.

"He and the others jumped me on my way up to New Vegas. Tied me up, stole the chip, then shot me in the head. Left me to die in a shallow grave. Part of me still can't believe I survived, really. So as you might imagine, I've got a bit of an axe to grind." Myina replaced the scarf and turned back to her drink, but not before she noticed the anger set in on Manny's face. For a second, she thought it might be directed at her, so she quickly went on to reassure him. "Look, I know some of those guys are your friends. I swear I'm not going to go after them. It's just this guy, Benny? He's the one I want. I promise I'll leave the others alone; they were just doing a job."

Manny shook his head. "No. No, you do what you have to. I can't believe those sons of. . ." He sucked in a deep breath, calming himself. "Look. We were close at one point, and yeah, I still see them as friends, but that shit? That's not right. I swear I didn't know they'd done that to you. All they said was they were hired to help steal something from Benny's boss. That's it. They never said a damn thing about killing someone."

Myina nodded and sipped at her whiskey again. "Well, what I said still stands. I'll try to leave them as best I can."

Manny's anger seemed to dissipate as he nodded quietly in response. She let the silence mull for a moment, deciding how she was going to take the next few steps.

"So uh," she cleared her throat, "You were in a gang, then? Were they tough?" Myina hoped she could pull him back a little. Sweetening him up might make him a little more open about the questions she'd have to ask him about Boone's wife.

"Were they tough?" Manny smirked a little, "I was in the Khans, man. It doesn't get any badder."

Myina laughed a little with him. An encouragement to keep him going. He swigged his beer and turned to her. "See, I grew up in North Vegas. Me and my cousins. We were some bad seeds. Got in with a gang. I loved it."

"Yeah?" Myina mirrored him, turning so she was a little more prone to him. She'd had enough experience interacting with people to know this would make him feel more comfortable talking to her.

"Yeah. But then something happened, and I couldn't handle it anymore. So, I enlisted. Earned my future." He seemed very proud and determined about that. She couldn't blame him. Myina had seen enough of people who were trapped in their upbringing, be it a farmer's life, or a drug dealer's like that of the Khans. It wasn't easy to break away from that.

"What was your tour with the NCR like?" She noticed him getting closer to her. He'd turned his whole body so that he was facing her, his knee a mere inch from her thigh.

"Oh it was great. I wouldn't trade it." The happy nostalgia crept onto his face. "I mean, something about that lifestyle, the discipline. Seeing new places, making people safe. What's not to like?" He smiled so sweetly at her, and she reciprocated. She might be working him for a job, but Myina had to admit, she liked being able to bring out the happiness in people.

"So why'd you leave, then?" She asked, honestly interested now.

"Ah, well. . . I just felt like it was time, you know? Wanted to have a home." Something in his expression shifted. He wasn't telling her the whole truth, dodging something, so she stayed silent, tilting her head slightly to press him to continue. "Plus I was up at Camp Golf when Bitter Springs went down."

Bitter Springs. She wasn't surprised, now realizing that he'd been a part of that. Even in her damaged memories, she could recall hearing about the Bitter Springs massacre. It was one of the reasons she had a bit of a distaste for the NCR. She knew the sordid reputations of the Khans well enough, but still. Even war should have guidelines. And civilians should be off limits. It had been a bad situation all around. _The whole truth. _

"I faked like I was sick to get out of going, because I knew some of the people there. But when everybody came back nobody would tell me what happened. . . And people would call us murderers sometimes when we showed up to secure towns. I don't know." Manny's face dropped and he became a lost in his beer.

But she could see the pain on his face, all the same. Like he had said, he wasn't proud of them, but the Great Khans were still his friends, his family. Myina nodded to the bartender to bring them another round. "So what _did_ happen at Bitter Springs?" She pried, letting herself inch closer to him, hoping her physical closeness could help keep him talking.

Manny shrugged. "I still don't know exactly. Just that a lot of people died who didn't want to be part of the fighting at all. I don't blame anybody for it. There's so much chaos when you're fighting, you're lucky not to shoot your own guys. But it did take something out of it for me. Just wasn't the same." He seemed a little mournful, but quickly picked himself back up.

"So when it came time to re-enlist, I just took my papers and walked." He brightened a little. "Hung out in New Vegas for a bit until I came across Cliff. He was in town restocking. Mentioned that his little town could use a bit of security, and well, it sounded like I could make a future out of that. Brought down my best friend to share that future with me."

"Your best friend?"

Manny nodded. "Boone."

That caught her off guard. The way they'd acted to each other in the shop was anything _but _the behavior of friends. Manny could apparently read the surprise on her face as he nodded.

"Yup. Craig Boone and I were snipers together during our First Recon days. I used to spot for him back then. After we got out, I talked him into settling down here. Only, as you might have noticed, we're not exactly on friendly terms anymore." Myina could hear the obvious regret in his voice.

She saw her chance to press for the answers she was looking for, so she angled herself closer to him and laid a hand on his knee. "Why are you on bad terms with Boone?"

Vargas shifted on his seat. "Me and his wife, we didn't see eye-to-eye on some things. We had some pretty big arguments. See, she came with us from New Vegas. Real city type of girl, you know? But then one day she turns up missing, and he hasn't said a word to me since."

"Missing?" Myina allowed herself a small gasp, trying to feign ignorance of the topic. "Who would want to hurt Boone's wife?"

"Man, everybody." Vargas emptied his beer, then motioned for another. "That girl didn't have one friend in this whole town and she didn't want any. She wanted to sit in her room all day and make herself miserable. And she went out of her way to be rude. She upset a lot of people." He laid a hand on her thigh. She didn't think it was intentional, but she couldn't help but smirk inwardly as he finished with, "You wouldn't have liked her, either."

Myina was beginning to see why Boone had drifted away from Manny. If he had loved Carla like it seemed he truly did, even his best friend couldn't break through that, no matter how unpleasant she might have been. But if Manny really was to blame, she had to find out.

Leaning a little closer, she put on a bit of a playful air, as if taking on the role of a coconspirator. "Did you have anything to do with Boone's wife's disappearance?"

"Believe me. When I heard the news, my first thought was, I owe somebody. Big." Manny laughed slightly, but it sounded almost hollow. "I figured Boone would come around after a while. But he hasn't. And I'm starting to think that if he doesn't find her that things will never go back to the way they were."

Well, there was a point in his favor. Boone had seemed sure that his wife was dead. If Manny still believes she's out there somewhere, Myina doubted he'd have had anything to do with it. And if he _did _have anything to do with it, he obviously wasn't going to fess up here and now. So she'd have to take things up a level.

He was already several drinks farther down than she was and Myina figured if she could get a few more in him, maybe he'd bring her back to his room. Once he passed out, she could do a thorough search and see if there was any evidence to be had. She sighed inwardly. _At least he's cute_.

Turning the charm up, she leaned in even closer, sympathy etched over her face. She laid a hand on his arm "You've had your needs neglected for far too long, haven't you? I can tell."

Manny's glassy eyes softened toward her. "Yeah, I. . . everybody depends on you, you know? But they don't ask you about how you feel. What you worry about." Myina felt bad again. He really was a nice guy.

Vargas turned to her and smiled a lopsided grin. "There's something I like about you. You just seem really understanding."

* * *

It took two more beers and some sharing of anecdotes to get Manny in the right place, but soon enough he had an arm thrown around her and she was escorting him back to his room, both of them giggling like school kids.

She dropped him on his bed, closed the door behind them and went to curl up next to him. Manny pulled her in for a tight, drunken hug, then turned his head to her shoulder. Myina laughed a little and stroked his short curly brown hair. "You gonna be alright, there?"

"Yeah." He sighed deeply and she could smell the beer. "You know, it's too bad I don't swing that way. You seem like a great girl."

Myina blinked in surprise. _Well, I'll be._ She couldn't help but smile. He really was in need of a friend, if he brought her back to his room just to snuggle.

"Well, I can't say I'm not a little disappointed," Myina joked lightly, smiling down at him. "You seem like a great guy too."

"Thanks." Manny smiled sheepishly, then took on a serious air again. "I know that's why Boone hasn't talked to me since Carla left."

"Oh?" Myina leaned on her hand, staying close to him. "Why do you say that?"

Manny shrugged. "He thinks I had something to do with it. He thinks I have a thing for him you know." Manny lifted his head and looked at her. His eyes were deep and filled with a sadness that pulled at her heart. Damn that thing. "But I don't. I mean, he's been one of the best friends I've ever had. Helped me get through training, always looked out for me. He never judged me for being a Khan, you know? I never wanted to lose him as a friend."

Myina laid a hand on his chest, hoping to make feel secure. He sighed, "But Carla. . . she just wasn't good for him. If she had made him happy, I would've supported him. And sure they _were _happy together for a bit, but it wasn't long before he changed. He seemed to bow down to her on everything, even if it made him miserable, and most of the time it did. And she was happy to make him do it, too." The frustrations and desperation in his voice intensified. "I mean, the way she spoke to him, treated him even; it was just awful! And he just . . he just took it. . ."

Manny rolled on to his side, his frustrations evident. "Carla took advantage of him and I couldn't forgive that. But all he sees is that she's gone. He doesn't even care that I've lost the one person I could truly call a friend."

Myina frowned and curled closer to him, stroking his hair. She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. But she held him close and rubbed arm and shoulder, comforting him the best she could, and he held her close in return.

She was relieved when he finally fell asleep, snoring softly in his intoxicated slumber. Myina stood up carefully and began to eye the room. The first thing she noticed were the three mattresses piled against a wall. The checkered suit and group must've stayed here. If they had come through a few weeks ago, it made sense.

A terminal sat against the far wall, and Myina headed for it immediately. She was dismayed, however, to find nothing of use on it. Only a note from one of his buddies complaining about the checker-suited asshat, Benny. At least it sounded as if the group would likely not have trouble giving him up to her.

Myina looked back over at Manny, sleeping soundly. . she'd pulled Manny's boots off him and covered him with a blanket. It was the least she could do for getting him drunk. Now, where should she look next?

* * *

Myina gently pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped back out into the desert night. After she had been satisfied that she'd checked every corner of the room, with no evidence to be found, she'd dug a pencil and a notepad out of his desk, wrote a quick note and laid it gently next to him on the bed. She didn't want him to think he'd driven her off, so she just explained that she needed to run a few errands in the morning and didn't want to wake him up, but she was thankful for a great night and could they maybe do it again sometime?

The arid night brightened her senses and Myina stretched, wincing when the injury in her arm retaliated. She wished Cliff had some Med-X, but there was none to be found in Dinky, so she'd have to deal with the occasional complaint the injury caused her arm.

Rubbing her neck, Myina looked around the courtyard and noticed a dim light on in the front office of the hotel. Curious, she swiftly crept toward the window peered in.

Jeannie May was leaning close to a table behind the counter, speaking fervently into the ham radio sitting on it, waving a paper around. A small desk lamp illuminated her features, which seemed twisted in contempt. She looked furious, an expression that seemed somehow out-of-place for her personality, yet fit perfectly on her face. The hard shadows etched into her features almost made Myina shudder.

Myina couldn't hear the conversation, but it seemed that, after a minute or two, Jeannie May was placated. She heaved a sigh, nodded a few times, then replaced the receiver. Crawford ducked under the counter out of sight for a minute, and when she reappeared, the papers were gone. The old woman then clicked off the small desk lamp.

Myina ducked behind the corner of the office building and listened to Jeannie May exit and lock up. What in the world would have the woman sneaking about her own office in the middle of the night? She resolved to find out what and started to lean forward to see if Crawford was gone yet . . . but instead came face to face with a scraggly, bearded, wild-eyed old man, barely an inch away from her.

Myina yelped and jumped back, clapping her hand to her mouth while the other reached for the knife tucked in her belt. Brandishing it in front of her, Myina glared at the man.

"_Who the hell are you?!"_ she whispered harshly, baring her teeth slightly.

"Careful. They got spiiiees all over." The man's eyes widened at her. His breath hit her like a brick, the smell of rotted teeth and decaying food making her flinch in disgust.

"What?" Myina took a step back, careful to keep her knife up.

"You've seen them too, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes. I knew I wasn't the only one." The man crept closer to her, staying close to the cement wall as if he were trying to be a part of it himself.

"Seen who? Who _are _you?" Myina pointed the blade directly at him taking another step back. Her heel scrapped the wall behind her. _Shit_.

"Me? Oh I'm No-Bark Noonan!" The man seemed to straighten in pride for a brief moment before crouching back down conspiratorily.

"No-Bark?"

"Yeah," Noonan's eyes flicked across the courtyard, "That's what they all call me. The townsfolk."

"Why do they call you that?" Myina whispered, angling herself so she could move a little further away.

"Cause they know I ain't just barking here. What I say's got bite, 'cause it's the truth!" He lunged forward a little, his low voice grinding out each word.

Myina jumped back, hitting one of the pillars behind her. She inwardly swore, trying to keep her eyes on the crazy old man.

"The truth, huh?" Myina raised an eyebrow as No-bark nodded fervently, creeping ever closer to her. "Mind if I ask you a few questions, then?"

"Okay, okay. Just speak up a little. But not so much that They hear you. They got people everywhere, aaaalways listening." He waved a hand prophetically.

"Uh huh." she slid around the pillar and took another step backward. She wasn't sure how to go about asking what she wanted without giving too much away. "Sooo, what's been going on around town?" she started.

"There's been things of a disturbing nature going on at the McBride Corral. Seems every night one of their herd meets a most unnatural death, and always there's holes all over the body." He ground out. "Work of the chupacabra, the livestock vampire, says No-bark, but they don't pay no mind. Too many holes, they say, and there's bullets in , says No-bark, we got a chupacabra with an automatic weapon. And that's when they get real quiet, 'cause now they see the predicament we're in."

Myina almost laughed at that, the image of a chupacabra dancing around a corral with a semi too ridiculous. "Well, then, tell me, has anyone around been acting . . . strange?"

"I don't trust a man that doesn't have something strange going on about him, 'cause it means he's hiding it from you." For a minute, Myina almost couldn't disagree with him. Then he went on, giggling a little like he was sharing an inside joke she had nothing to do with. "If a man's wearing his pants on his head or if he says his words backwards from time to time, you know it's all laid out there for you. But if he's friendly to strangers and keeps his home spick-and-span, more often than not he's done something even his own ma couldn't forgive."

Well this guy was definitely off his rocker. Maybe if she just came right out and asked him, he wouldn't remember long enough to be suspicious. "What do you know about the abduction of Boone's wife?" Myina eyed him carefully to see his reaction. Maybe he had done it. He obviously had the sneaking skills to surprise her like that. And he seemed delusional enough that he'd probably done it out of some mind-spun fantasy in the mucked up head of his where his motive might not have been clear enough to suspect by anyone else.

"Ooooh, seen it all." No-bark stopped in his tracks but kept his eyes locked on her. "Seen shadowy folk come to his room and leave again in the middle of the night. Thought one might've gone in the lobby, too, for a spell. Could be that person went in to get something. Or use the john maybe. . . Mighty interesting either way, you ask me. I thought it was cannibals, come to eat us all for sure, so I kept out of sight. But now I know better."

"You know who it was?" Myina blinked in surprise. The town-crazy might actually be helpful.

"Oooh yes." Myina held her breath in anticipation as No-bark leaned in and beckoned her closer. "Molerat men, come up from the Underneath to steal young women with promises of riches and fancy mud mansions with all the latest designer covet our ladyfolk's long hair for wigs, it's said, being either bald or balding themselves."

Myina sighed. Well there goes that. "Ah," she replied, defeated. Myina replaced her knife in her belt and straightened. "Well, um. Thanks for your help, Noonan."

"Dang it, No-bark, just when you was making a friend." He berated himself.

"Well, I'll be around. So if you think of anything . . ." Myina backed away from him swiftly toward the front gate, making a wide arc to keep as much distance between them as possible.

"If anyone asks, we never spoke." No-bark called after her in a whispered tone.

"You got it, brother." Myina waved and turned her back to him, trotting quickly out the front gates. _Holy hell_. She thought. _No wonder they call him that. His dogs are definitely not barking._

Myina couldn't help but look toward the dinosaur. Boone would be on duty now. How many days had he passed, sitting up there, wondering if the very people he was protecting were the ones behind his wife's disappearance? What kind of pain is that?

Her gaze drifted to the dusty road. Would she even know pain like that? Would she ever _have _someone she cared enough of about to be caused pain like that? The years of her life stretched out down that road.

She had spent a small portion of her life as a squatter in Vault 13 with a small group of settlers. When they had found the vault abandoned, they found it the perfect place to settle down and have some protection from the California wastes. Myina remembered only bits and pieces of it now. But one of those pieces was the day she'd found her Pip-boy. Her and some of the other kids were exploring the vault and found a panel in one of the storage rooms that led to a hideout just behind the walls. There, they'd encounter two skeletons. Most of the other kids ran out, but Myina and James, a boy maybe two years older than her, dug around for anything of interest. She found the Pip-boy and was immediately entranced. James tried to take it from her, but she decked him squarely in the mouth and ran off with it. She had been only 12 years old at the time. But, out here in the wastes, sometimes that was old enough.

Myina shook herself out of her revere. The sun would be rising soon. She still had no real lead about the disappearance of Boone's wife, but in the meantime, what with this story about the McBride's corral, there might be another job in town. She could use the extra caps. Travelling up to Boulder City would take more supplies than she had.

The weary courier resigned herself to head back to her room, keeping an eye out for No-bark. She was still awake enough that she spent some time milling about the place. Locating a box of Abraxo, Myina ran some hot water and, with ED-E's companionship and Mr. New Vegas' sultry voice, scrubbed down the bathroom and furniture in the room. This wouldn't be a bad place to set up a home-base, so she might as well make it a little more livable. She'd have to tackle the carpet another day though.

Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Myina crawled into bed, kissing ED-E goodnight, or in this case, good-day. _It's going to be good to be back on a nocturnal schedule_, she thought as she drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of a chupacabra bounding around her head, wearing a wig and brandishing a rifle. It was quite the sight.


	10. One for My Baby

_All the latest news, coming your way right now. _

_The HELIOS One solar power plant remains dormant despite NCR efforts to reactivate the facility. Also, traders from California are being turned away at Mojave Outpost, where the NCR is concerned about dangers along Nipton Highway and I-15._

_Those are our stories this hour. This is Mr. New Vegas signing off. Just kidding. I'm not going anywhere. My love for you is too strong._

The radio played in the background as Myina swallowed the warm steak with gusto, savoring every little bit. She smiled at Alice and closed her eyes. "Thank you so much! I can't tell you how long it's been since I've had a meal this good! But you really didn't have to go to all the trouble. I didn't mean to put you out of your dinner."

Alice McBride grinned appreciatively back at her. "Oh, don't you worry about it a bit!" She said sincerely. "We don't get a chance to entertain very often, and it's always nice to meet new people."

"Everyone treatin' you alright?" Dusty, Alice's 'beau', as she'd called him, packed his pipe with tobacco and leaned back in his chair.

"Yes sir." Myina smiled at him. "Everyone here seems real nice. Although . . ." Myina paused, "I did have a run in with an older gentlemen, uhmm-"

Alice laughed gently. "Oh, you must mean No-bark Noonan." Myina nodded."Don't worry dear. He's harmless. Poor man got stuck a few times by some radscorpions some years back. Did a number to that skull of his. Doctors patched him up best they could, but I guess the venom got in all the same."

"Ah," Myina speared a potato piece with her fork and chewed thoughtfully at it. "He seemed to have some interesting ideas. One thing he mentioned in particular was the disappearance the wife of one of the snipers? It sounded a little . . .upsetting. That's not a usual thing around here is it?"

Alice and Dusty both nodded in mutual sympathy. Alice spoke softly, "Boone. That's that sniper fella, works in the dinosaur. I only met them but once or twice. They seemed real happy together. I really oughtta have gotten to know them better. They seemed like nice folk."

"She's been missing 'bout three years now." Dusty added. "Isolated incident though. Nothing you need be worried about. We don't have much of a raider problem here. Those snipers make sure of that."

Myina nodded. "That's good to know. I'm sorry to hear about her, though. Did they ever find out what happened?"

"No one really knows. She kind of just, vanished, one night. That poor boy was on duty when it happened. Near went out of his mind tearing apart the town looking for her. He was so angry. I think he blames himself for it, you know?" Alice shook her head in sorrow. Dusty squeezed her hand. "He went off for a few weeks after that. Went to track her down, I think. But when he came back alone . . . well, he never talked about it and none of us ever asked."

_My wife's dead. I just know, alright?_

Sonofabitch. He went out looking for her; he must've found her body. That's a hell of a way to say goodbye.

Myina looked down at her plate, her appetite having mostly gone away in the wake of the realization that the man probably had to dig his own wife's grave out there in the wastes.

She cleared throat. "Anyway, I, um, I also heard you guys have been having a bit of a problem with the brahmin?"

* * *

_Those are our stories this hour. This is Mr. New Vegas signing off. Just kidding. I'm not going anywhere. My love for you is too strong._

Boone methodically assembled his side arm, having finished cleaning and lubricating it, just as he did almost every day. Good days that is.

Good days, he would quietly disassemble and clean his rifle, sidearm, and sharpen and polish his hunting knife. Bad days . . . well, bad days were bottles of whisky and staring at the trigger of the aforementioned sidearm.

But today was a good day, and so he set about his task. It kept his mind just occupied enough. Kept his hands busy. The radio helped too, Mr. New Vegas his only companion in the wreckage of his life. He was one step closer to finding Carla's betrayer. One step nearer to closure. . . he hoped.

The image of the disheveled and injured woman that was his confidant in this came back to mind. If she pulled through for him on this, he would owe her big. He would, at the very least, have to learn her name.

Boone looked down at the pistol. Memories came back to him from his days on tour with the NCR. He thought about the day he and Manny had almost been killed by deathclaw.

It was their first time out after being partnered together out of training and they were assigned to patrol a road somewhere outside of Shady Sands. The damn beast had lept down from a cliff and thrown Vargas to the ground. Too close for the rifle, Boone had reached for his sidearm but only got off two shots when he suddenly found himself pinned to the ground, the deathclaw raising an arm to slash down on him. Out of nowhere, Manny had jumped on top of the thing's back and driven his knife into its eye. The deathclaw had gone reeling back in agony and had retreated back into the canyons. Manny picked up Boone's pistol and handed it back to him, "You alright there partner?"

Boone frowned at the memory. Vargas had been by his side for years. They had shared so much together and shed blood and sweat together. But when it came to the tears part? Well, the bastard failed at that.

He could still remember that day. The sun had risen and Boone had returned to the room he shared with his wife. When he opened the door and saw that she wasn't in their bed, he knew right away something was wrong. And then he saw the blood. A smear of it across the carpet. Boone shouted her name and tore through the room quickly. With no sign of her, he dashed up to the sniper's nest.

"She's gone! Manny, she's gone. You gotta help!"

Manny looked shocked for a brief moment, but then something else had come over his face. "What do you mean, she's gone? Who?"

"Carla!" Boone practically screamed. "Someone's taken her!"

"Oh, man, okay, just calm down a minute and think about this. Are you sure someone _took _her?" Manny looked at him skeptically.

"What?! Are you fucking kidding me?" Boone ground his teeth, trying to keep from punching Manny in the face. "Of course I'm sure-"

"I'm just saying, she's been talking about going back to the city forever now. Are you sure she didn't just get sick of waiting and decide to leave on her own?"

And that's when Boone _did_ punch him. Manny stumbled backward holding his mouth as blood began to pour from his split lip.

"Fuck you, Vargas." And then he left. He never said another word to Manny after that. Not that Manny wouldn't try. He'd knock on Boone's door, but he'd never answer. Manny would wait for Boone to come in for his shift, but he'd usually just silently leer at him until he left.

Manny had never liked Carla and it caused more than a little friction in Boone's life. The two were constantly at each other's throats and he'd always try to defend the one to the other. Carla was always saying that Manny was a bad influence. That he was always dragging Boone down and that he just wanted to keep Boone to himself. And Manny had no tolerance for Carla's pretentiousness or complaining.

Neither one of them ever tried to get along with each other, and in the end, it just made Boone miserable.

The truth was, Boone understood both of them. Manny had come from a rough background and he still had his tendencies toward recklessness or childishness. He'd gotten Boone in trouble on several occasions by roping him into whatever prank he decided he wanted to pull on the officers or fellow troops. And after they'd left the service, it wasn't unlikely that Boone would find himself in the middle of some con or another Manny was pulling on a mark in one of the casinos on the strip.

That's how he'd met Carla, actually. She was one of Vargas' targets and when Boone told Manny to knock it off, Carla had rewarded him with a drink from the bar. They'd ended up talking all night. It was the first time since Bitter Springs that Boone hadn't felt like everyone was looking at him like the murderer he was.

But she had her own flaws, just as everyone did. She was a city girl, born and raised. Carla had been extremely hesitant about moving out to a tiny little town miles from her home, but Boone had managed to convince her that New Vegas was no place to raise a family. She'd relented, but ultimately hated it. She couldn't help but compare it everything to her life in the city and it never seemed to measure up. Boone tried desperately to make her happy, but she was too set in her ways and missed the fast-paced, richer living that was New Vegas. And she never seemed to have any qualms about letting everyone she came in contact with know it.

Boone frowned remembering the arguments they would have over the way she treated people. They usually ended with her sobbing about how much she missed New Vegas and how she was trying to be happy. He'd always comfort her and say tomorrow would be better. But it never was. He was so close to accepting that they'd have to leave Novac and return to the city, when she told him she was pregnant.

It had been a happy day for him. But that day too, ended in an argument. He tried again and again to tell her that New Vegas wasn't a good place for a child to be, but she didn't want to hear it. He was furious when he found her talking with Jeannie May about sending off a telegram to New Vegas in order to secure a place to live there. They'd had it out right there in the motel lobby and in the end, she'd screamed at him that she wasn't going to raise her child in this "dump of a town", slapped him, and stormed off.

A week later, she was taken. Boone would never forgive himself for that. If he had just taken her out of the town like she'd wanted, maybe he'd be reading a bedtime story to his child right now, instead of cleaning his weapons in a musty, empty apartment.

Boone looked at his pistol longingly for a minute, then stood to gear up for the night. Maybe today was going to be a bad day after all.

* * *

Myina emerged from the McBride's house, waving them goodnight and promising to look into the problem they were having with their cattle. As she stepped up the road, she caught sight of Jeannie May walking in her direction. She must have just closed up for the night and was on her way to her own house. Myina decided this was the perfect time to see if she could pull any info out of the old woman. As the town greeter, she must have a pretty good idea of the goings on of the settlement.

"Hi Ms. Crawford!" Myina sang sweetly.

"Well, hey there!" She crooned back. "Isn't it a little late for you to be out and about?"

"Oh I was just meeting with the McBrides." Myina smiled. "Figured if I'm going to stick around for a bit I'd like to get to know my neighbors."

"Well isn't that just sweet of you." Jeannie May patted Myina's arm lightly. "I think you'll fit in just fine around here. It's good to have someone who actually cares about the people of this town."

"Yeah, just about everyone seems like really nice people. Except . . " Myina let herself trail off, hoping to grab Jeannie May's attention. She succeeded.

"Except who, dear?" The woman stepped in closer, taking on an almost defensive air.

"Well, I happened to run into the nighttime sniper earlier," Myina fished. Jeannie May nodded understandingly. "So, what's wrong with, what's his name, Boone?"

"Oh, nothing that wouldn't be wrong with any man who loses a wife, I suppose. Poor dear." Something in the woman's tone seemed different than before. Myina couldn't quite place it, but she let out a gasp and lifted her hand to her mouth to play off like she didn't know what Jeannie May was talking about. The woman nodded and continued, leaning in to gossip. "I know he thinks she was kidnapped, but I'm not so sure she didn't just run off on her own. You could tell she was thinking about it ever since they arrived."

"Oh, my." Myina mirrored her gossipy stance, while trying to maintain the sympathetic stranger appearance.

Playing the people around her was something Myina had learned to do long ago and over many years. They always wanted someone to relate to, but also someone they could be the 'teacher' or 'mentor' to. If you made someone feel like they knew more or better than you, and that you wanted to learn from them, it was easy to get them talking. In this case, getting Jeannie May to feel like the town matriarch seemed to be the best approach.

"Wow, that is very upsetting." Jeannie May nodded her agreement and Myina prodded a little more. "What was Boone's wife like?"

"Oh, how should I put it?" Jeannie May looked out at the sky and pushed her large glasses up her nose. "I guess you could say she was kinda like a cactus flower. Real pretty to look at, but there was just no getting close to her. She never did take to living here. She liked the big lights and fast living of New Vegas. I got the feeling she was trying to get Boone to leave with her, but I guess she got tired of waiting."

The woman shook her head in the '_isn't it such a shame_' kind of way, and Myina mirrored her in agreement. "Well, dear, I should get to bed. These old bones need their rest." Jeannie May smiled and squeezed Myina's arm before sweeping off in the direction of her house.

"Goodnight Ms. Crawford." Myina chirped back. She watched her get almost to her house before moving in the direction of her room.

If it hadn't been for Boone seeming so sure that Carla was dead, Myina would be beginning to look into this angle that the woman had just left town. Maybe Boone was just assuming his wife was dead? He could be in denial that she'd have left him.

A sudden thought struck the courier and she stopped dead in her tracks, a fear coming over her. Maybe Carla _had _left her husband to return to the city. And Boone was sure she was dead because he'd killed her himself out of anger.

But surely he wouldn't have hired her to find this nonexistent kidnapper, then? On the other hand . . . Myina's fingers trailed the fabric of the beret he'd given her to be their signal, currently tucked safely away in her jacket pocket. He obviously had no problem killing someone he trusted a random stranger to make a decision about. Was he really the best person to trust?

_The whole truth_.

Myina sighed. Maybe it was time to check out her current employer. He would be at his post now anyhow. She crept silently to the edge of the courtyard and looked around for any lighted windows or shadowed figures. When she detected nothing out of place she slid over to the room she was sure was the sniper's, two doors down from Manny's. The fencing in front of the door provided her some cover as she crouched low, slipping a bobby pin from her bra; a good tool to keep handy.

Lockpicking wasn't her strongest suit but she wasn't bad at it either. It took only moments to hear the tell-tale click of the lock, and she slowly swung the door open and slid inside. She turned the light on her Pip-boy on and let her eyes scan the room. There was little by way of furnishings. A bed, a table with a phone, another table with a cracked television, and on the far wall a simple set of shelves next to a fridge.

The very first thing that caught her attention was a stain on the carpet at the end of the bed. Her stomach lurched as she studied it. Blood, long ago dried. She could tell that someone had attempted to scrub it clean, but the fibers were too far stained to ever be free of it.

At the end of the bed was a foot locker and she steered toward it. Inside, carefully folded and placed, were women's clothes. _Carla's things_. Myina swallowed. Not looking good for the theory that she ran off on her own.

At the bottom of the locker was an old photo; a couple standing hand-in-hand with a small boy between them. Neither the man or the woman looked familiar and Myina wondered if it might be Boone as a kid and his parents. She carefully replaced the photo and closed the footlocker, turning her attention to the wall opposite the bed.

The table with the television had a few empty bottles of beer and there were many more in the trashcan next to it. On the table near to the window sat a dusty phone and small pouch which Myina recognized as a rifle's cleaning kit. She looked under each table and under the bed to see there was anything out of sight.

A duffle bag sat under the bed and she carefully pulled it out and opened it. There were several sets of clothes, a pouch of caps, a pistol and knife, some canned foods and bottled water. A go bag. Myina knew well enough what one of those looked like. She'd had one near to her since the day she turned fourteen.

She zipped the bag back up and slid it under the bed, then tucked her hands under the mattress on all sides. Nothing. The shelves and the fridge contained a few food items and household goods. She carefully checked each to see if they were false containers. Nope. A sweep of the bathroom . . .zilch.

Myina turned off her Pip-boy's light and stepped quietly back out of the room making sure it locked behind her. As she walked back the her room, she took stock of the info she'd gleaned. He was obviously a heavy drinker, which could mean guilt or depression. He had mind enough to keep his weapons clean, so he probably wasn't insane enough to have killed his wife and then kept up a charade about her being kidnapped, though. He kept her things, despite being sure she was dead. That practically yelled mourning.

No. If she had to make a decision right now, she'd say Boone was being sincere about believing someone had kidnapped her. But everyone she had talked to made it seem like the most likely scenario had been that Carla was unhappy here, that she wasn't very keen on the idea of being a resident in this little town and had just-

Myina's hand paused on the doorknob of her room. Who in the town seemed so committed to making this place seem like a perfect little town? Like a place that anyone should be grateful to be a part of? _No...it can't be_. Myina looked back on her interactions with Jeannie May and recalled how each time had left her feeling like there was something to the woman that she couldn't pin down. Was it possible it was something sinister?

The memory of the contempt she'd seen the night before written over Jeannie May's face flashed in her mind. Myina chewed on the inside of her cheek, and decided suddenly where her next stop was. Time to pick another lock.

The lobby of the Dino dee-lite Motel was cast in an eerie glow by the Sunset Sarsaparilla vending machine on the far wall. Keeping low to the floor, Myina moved around behind the counter and looked across the shelves there. Mostly, it was just sodas and Dinky dolls. A guest log, which yielded little info. There, at the end, imbedded in the floor, however, was a safe.

She rubbed her hands together and leaned close to the lock. It took her almost ten minutes to crack, but she eventually got the heavy metal door open. Inside was a bunch of caps and a bound filecase. Myina reached for the case and began looking through the files.

_Holy shit._ There were tens of papers in there and at least half of them were stamped with the seal of none other than the damn Legion. She read through each and every one of them; most of them were correspondences between Jeannie May and some Legion asshat named Crassus. But one paper in particular caught her attention.

"We, the representatives of the Consul Officiorum, have this day bargained and purchased from Jeannie May Crawford of the township of Novac the exclusive rights to ownership and sale of the slave Carla Boone for the sum of one thousand bottle caps, and those of her unborn child for the sum of five hundred bottle caps, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged. We warrant the slave and her young to be sound, healthy, and slaves for life. We covenant with the said, Jeannie May Crawford, that we have full power to bargain and sell said slave and her offspring. Payment of an additional five hundred bottle caps will be due pending successful maturation of the fetus, the claim to which shall be guaranteed by possession of this document."

Bile rose in her throat. It was the single most disgusting thing she'd ever seen put into print. She stared at the document for several long minutes, emotions flooding her as they hadn't in a long time. Myina had seen some pretty fucked up shit in her life, personally and in her profession as a bounty hunter. But this. This just about took the cake.

A steely hard resolve set in then. Her face hardened, and she rose slowly, not bothering to close the safe. Myina tucked the filecase into the waist of her jeans against her back, covering it with her jacket, and moved swiftly out of the lobby, running up the hill to Jeannie May's house.

Myina pounded on the door, working her breath up. Jeannie May Crawford answered the door, hastily tying her bathrobe. "My god, what-what is it?" Her voice cracked for a minute, and Myina could hear her swiftly apply the 'sweet old lady' tone. _You fucking bitch_.

"Please, you need to come with me! There's something wrong." Myina tugged at Jeannie May's arm and began pulling her in the direction of the dinosaur. Once she was sure the woman was following her, she dashed up the road, stopping just at the bottom of the hill Boone had indicated.

"What is it?" She asked breathlessly as she caught up to Myina.

"Up here." Myina walked up the hill slowly and looked out over the moon-washed wasteland. She didn't need to look back to know Boone was there in the sniper's nest, scoping her.

Jeannie May walked up next to her and looked out. "What? What is it? I don't see anything."

"I do." Myina dropped her panicked facade and continued to stare out over the wasteland.

"Where?" The irritation in Jeannie May's voice began to rise. "What are you playing at?"

Myina pulled the file-folder out of her jeans and held it up. She looked over at Jeannie May and watched an expression of pure rage twist the woman's features as she recognized the binding. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The sweet old woman was no more. In her place, stood a snarling hag.

"This, you filthy bitch." Myina pulled Boone's beret from her jacket and fitted it onto her head in one motion. Jeannie May was about to lunge for her, but her head suddenly exploded in a plume of pink mist. Her body fell to the ground and rolled down the hill. Myina stood for a moment, unblinking, then turned slowly and walked up to the dinosaur, taking the steps to the sniper's nest slowly. Myina sucked in a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Boone stood at the opening of Dinky's mouth, looking out over the landscape, his back to her. He didn't move or speak as Myina entered the nest. After a moment, she stepped up next to him.

"That's it then. How did you know?" His voice was deep and low.

"I found this," she held the filecase out, the bill of sale on top. He took it from her and read it over. Myina saw the change in his expression, ever so slight, making his stony features even blanker.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," he said, lowering the papers. "It'd be just like them to keep paperwork."

"Are you an outlaw now?" She asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the horizon.

"No," he shrugged and motioned out to desert. "People die out there. Often enough that no one worries about blame. They're too anxious to forget it happened in the first place, I guess." Myina nodded in response, knowing the truth of his statement. "Besides, I was on break when it happened."

There was humor in his response, so slight that it was almost missed. A dark humor, but still there.

Neither of them spoke for a minute, but then Boone reached into his pocket and produced a small leather satchel, tossing it to Myina.

"Here. This is all I can give. I think our dealings are done here." He turned, shouldering his rifle, and began to head for the door. Myina was shocked for a moment, and called after him.

"What will you do? After all this . . . what now?"

"I don't know," Boone paused at the door, his voice seeming more genuine now. "I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see much point in anything right now, except hunting legionaires." He shrugged again. "Maybe I'll wander, like you."

She took a step toward him. "Come with me. Let's go after the Legion."

Boone looked away. "You don't want to do that."

Myina shrugged. "I thought snipers worked in teams."

Boone looked up at her and she could see a little surprise there. He tilted his head curiously. "Hnh. Yeah. Working on your own, you're a lot less effective." Boone's eyes drifted to the horizon again. "I've been there, and paid for it. . . This isn't going to end well, but fine. Let's get out of here."

She nodded. "I have business to take care of before I head out of town. I'll take care of it then pack my bag." She glanced at him, trying to see his eyes under his dark sunglasses. "Why don't you come with me, and we can knock it out together."

"Knock what out?" He asked flatly. Myina grinned.

"Dunno yet. That's the surprise."


End file.
